The Beginning of the End
by ashes at midnight
Summary: AU from the end of S4 of 'Bones' What if Booth started remembering his past life as Angel? What does this mean for Buffy, and Booth? A new case, a new Hellmouth and a new set of memories! Buffy/Booth. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon, Bones belongs to Hart Hanson. I am merely using these amazing characters to satisfy my beast of a muse!**

**A/N: Spoilers for all of BtVS and Angel. Takes place during the final episode of Bones S4 "The End in the Beginning" Spoilers for previous seasons, does not take into account season 5 or above.**

**Big shout out to Readingmama for betaing this for me! Read, review, but most of all enjoy!**

**...**

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1

The Hellmouth

Cleveland, Ohio, May 14th 2009

Buffy Summers, a Vampire Slayer walked down the street towards the new Council building, the small heels of her black boots clicking softly as she walked. She was wearing a pair of figure hugging dark-blue jeans, a white knit top and a dark brown trench coat to protect her against the fresh spring breeze. She sighed loudly as she walked up the stone steps, pushed at the artistically carved double wooden doors, and heading into the lobby of the building that was now the headquarters for the new Slayer and Watchers Council operations around the world.

Sitting at the reception desk on the left hand side of the large room sat a perky, perfectly presented blonde. Her bright blue eyes rimmed with black eyeliner and mascara, her lips a bright pink to match her skin tight, flower printed dress and long manicured nails. Buffy glanced over towards the young, self-absorbed vampire Harmony looked up, gave a brilliant beaming smile and stood up, hurrying over to Buffy, her high, hot-pink heels clicking against the granite tiles.

"Hey Boss!" she gushed. "You have a few messages." She quickly handed Buffy a stack of pastel-pink post-it notes. "Oh and Giles wants you in the conference room in 10 minutes."

Buffy sighed, again mystified that the Watchers Council, an organisation dedicated to eliminating the forces of evil had hired a vampire as its receptionist. Admittedly, it was hard to find good help nowadays. Harmony worked hard, and there was a strict no-blood policy on all Council grounds, still…it _was_ Harmony.

Buffy rolled her eyes, taking the notes and nodding reluctantly. "Ok, thanks Harmony." She managed a weak smile. "Why don't you head home for the day?"

Harmony beamed. "Ok, thanks Buffy!" she said brightly, quickly making her way back to the desk, turning off the computer and grabbing her bag, which was also pink, before heading towards the back hallway and the underground sewer access. Buffy shook her head in disbelief, she was just waiting for the day when a fluffy white Pomeranian would poke its head out of Harmony's bag and yip at her.

As the click-click of Harmony's heels faded into the background, Buffy stuffed the bundle of post-it notes into her pocket and headed up the stairs.

A few minutes later she sat in the conference room on the top floor. Three sides of the immense room were covered in neo-tempered glass, the same glass that Angel had in his Wolfram and Hart office. The midday sun was coming in through the panels and highlighting Buffy's hair and bouncing of the ancient hardwood table. She tried to appear interested, really she did, but the politics she now found herself dealing with everyday put her to sleep. Give her a trusty stake and a battleaxe any day! She glanced across the table, caught Faith's eye and smirked, knowing the other Slayer was thinking the exact same thing she was.

Faith grinned and shifted in her seat, throwing her arms over her head and stretching. Giles stood in front of a whiteboard, a pen in his hand as he outlined the things going on in the Council.

The conference room was full, all the gang was there. Giles, Willow, Xander, Spike and Faith, as well as a few of the more experienced Watchers, a few of the older Slayers and Lorne, a green-skinned empathy demon. At the end of the table a laptop was open, facing Giles, on the screen the faces of Dawn and her husband, Connor Reilly beamed at them. They couldn't make the meeting, but had still wanted to sit in on the discussion.

_Nerds,_ Buffy thought with a hint of sisterly pride.

Giles' voice started to drown out as Buffy's thoughts turned inward. The past six years had been one hell of a ride, first the destruction of the Hellmouth, then the establishment of the new council. Giles had suggested they move to Cleveland, the location of the only other Hellmouth in the continental US. Buffy had agreed; California held too many memories, some good, some bad. She needed something new, but she did miss the weather.

Back then, in those early days, she had needed to be strong for Dawn, for the Slayers, and for everyone who needed her. She enrolled Dawn in one of the best schools in the city, watching her graduate with distinction and go on to become one of the better field Watchers in the new Council. Giles was so proud. At the moment she was in Northern Russia with her husband and her Slayer. Last reports had them rounding up a pack of Thesulac demons.

After the Hellmouth had collapsed, Xander had travelled the world, and helped to find all the new Slayers; he had wanted time and space to grieve for Anya. He had returned almost four years ago and had been here ever since. He owned a construction company which he worked during the day. He said it was a good way for him to help the ordinary world as well. After Anya's death there hadn't really been anyone else, he had had a few girlfriends here and there but nothing too serious, and they all ended quickly.

Willow was single too. She and Kennedy had lasted for a few years, but gradually drifted apart as Willow's magic became stronger and Kennedy found herself travelling all over the world. Kennedy was in South America at the moment, Willow was here in Cleveland. She often taught the Slayers the very basics of magic, how to recognise certain herbs and spells, and a few common protection spells that would help them fight.

Faith had lost Robin over five years ago, they had been going steady and it was a shock to see him go. He was in a car accident; a speeding car had clipped him on the highway and pushed him directly into the past of a truck coming the other way. He had died instantly.

Perhaps the only good thing to come out of the entire ordeal was Faith finding out she was pregnant only a few weeks after his death. She now had a healthy little boy. She called him Robbie after his father and doted on him like her own mother should have doted on her. He was a little terror.

Giles had spent the past six years in Cleveland and was now head of the Watchers Council, coordinating the training and education of the Slayers. He still helped with field work.

Not all of the Slayers had Watchers. Most of the Slayers worked in squads, in groups of between 5 and 10 girls who were in charge of preventing the demons and vampires from taking over the city. In the quieter areas of the world there was normally only one Slayer. Mostly those who preferred to work by themselves, they were often the ones assigned with Watchers.

In the six years since Willow's spell made all the potentials, Slayers, they had found in excess of over two thousand Slayers. With almost one hundred squads, Slayer's and Watchers were now stationed all over the world.

The younger Slayers, those who had not reached the age of sixteen, were kept out of the field if it could be helped. They attended the boarding school across the road and trained in everything from ancient history to battle tactics and were tutored by the Watchers either too old or too inexperienced to train a field Slayer.

Buffy was no longer at the front of all the battles, she was still active in the field, but with the amount of Slayers around the world it meant she no longer had to fight alone, or risk her friends hurting. She had been enthusiastic about starting the new Council.

It all changed a year after they had destroyed the Sunnydale Hellmouth, reports had come in from the Slayers stationed in San Francisco. Los Angeles was in flames, buildings were down and demon's roamed the streets. News reports from all over the world reported chaos and death.

Buffy had absolutely no word from Angel. She sat by the phone for days, hoping he would call, hoping he would tell her he was okay.

About a week after the initial reports, there was a soft knock at the front door of the apartment she shared with Dawn. It was the middle of the night, and they weren't expecting anyone. It was a shock when Buffy opened the door, revealing Spike and a tall, sandy haired boy standing on the threshold; they were covered in blood. The look on Spike face had said it all.

Buffy had collapsed, crying uncontrollably. Dawn had rushed towards her, offering comfort when she didn't know what else to do. She had let them in as she had grabbed Buffy around the shoulders and pulled her up onto the couch. Spike had hesitated for a second, looking down at the broken Slayer and then reached out and grabbed the phone. He had quickly found Giles' and Willow's numbers, calling them and telling them to come quick.

Giles had arrived first, living only a couple of blocks away. He had immediately taken charge, comforting Buffy and telling Dawn to put the kettle on. Soon Buffy was huddled in a blanket; her feet tucked under her, a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

Willow had rushed in a few seconds later. She had looked straight at Buffy, seen the tears streaking down her cheeks and immediately knew that something was wrong. She sat down beside her, wrapped her arms around the Slayer's shaking shoulders and held her tight. Buffy had taken a deep breath, turned her tear-filled hazel eyes to Spike and asked him what had happened.

The blonde vampire had looked away, a brief flash of pain crossing his features as he remembered that final battle. Finally he had turned back, looking deep into her eyes as he moved forward and sat down on the floor in front of her. Then he had told her everything that had happened that in that past year, from his first appearance as a ghost, becoming corporeal, and finally, how he started fighting by Angel's side. He told her of the constant battle of wills between him and the older vampire and about the struggle to keep the evil at bay. He told her of Gunn's legal upgrade, Cordelia's last goodbye and Fred's ultimate sacrifice. He told her of Illyria, and how the God King ultimately became one of their strongest allies. He told them about Wesley and his decline after the death of the woman he loved.

He had paused then, taking a deep breath before telling the Slayer and the others everything that had happened in those last hours. About Angel's suicidal, but brilliant plan to eliminated the senior members of the Circle of the Black Thorn. How Wesley had died and how Lorne had killed Lindsay, before packing his bags and walking away from the battle, unwilling to become more involved. He told her of how the four of them; Angel, Illyria, Gunn and himself had stood in the rain in that dirty alley and took up arms against the demon horde coming towards them.

Buffy had started crying again, tears flowing silently down her cheeks as he told her how Gunn had quickly fallen, his chest ripped out, his guts spilling to the floor. Spike's voice grew rough as he explained how Angel had taken him aside then and told him that if he fell he was to get Connor out of the city.

Spike had ducked his head then, shaking his head as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He sniffed. "Stupid bastard," he had muttered. "I couldn't do anything!"

Buffy shook her head desperately. "No," she whispered frantically, "No."

Spike had sighed, and told her what she didn't want to hear. That Angel had fallen.

"It happened so fast, the dragon was on him, without any of us noticing." Spike said, "It had swooped down out of the sky, fire spewing from its mouth. You know how fast Angel is, but even he couldn't avoid it."

Spike shook his head sadly. "I've never heard him scream like that, never. He was on fire. He wasn't done though, bloody crazy bastard! He raised his sword with the last of his strength, javelin style. He skewered that damn dragon in the eye and killed it good and proper."

"And then he died, just crumpled to dust, right in front of me. I couldn't do anything." He sniffed and wiped at his eyes quickly.

"I couldn't move. Turns out I didn't need to anymore. The demons, they stopped fighting. As soon as Angel was dead they just stopped. Then they started cheering!" he growled softly.

"Illyria, the crazy bird just stood their staring, no emotion on her face at all. Me? Bloody hell I didn't know what to do did I? Angel and I had known each other for a hundred years; I had hated the bastard for almost as long too. But finally, it was starting to look like we could be buddies again."

Buffy's eyes widened in shock and Spike nodded. "Yeah, was finally looking like we could be in the same room without killing each other. I never thought there would be a day when he wasn't there, ya know." He looked down sadly. "I don't know who I'm gonna annoy now."

Buffy managed a small smile at the last admission, wiped her eyes on her hand. She turned to the young man sitting beside Spike, who had been silent the entire time. "Who are you?" she'd asked quietly. There was something about the young man that had called to her.

The teenager had shifted nervously, his blue eyes shifting towards Spike and then back towards the Slayer. He swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. "I'm Connor," he'd said holding out his hand. "Connor Reilly."

Her eyes widened and she glanced at Spike. "The Connor, Angel asked you to get out of Los Angeles at all costs?" she'd asked. At Spikes small nod she turned to Connor, her eyes narrowing.

"What makes you so important that he would sacrifice his life for yours?" she'd asked him bluntly, her eyes flashing.

"Because I'm his son," Connor said, catching Buffy's gaze. He looked into her hazel eyes and struggled to tell her, he didn't want to cause her more pain, but this was necessary.

Buffy's eyes widened. "What?" She gasped. "But…It's impossible, Angel's a…." she'd choked as she'd started crying again and sucked in a breath "…was, a vampire. Vampires can't have children."

Connor shrugged. "There was a prophesy, it was a thing." He looked at Spike. "I know he was pretty shocked when mom turned up," he muttered.

Buffy sucked in a deep breath. "Who is your mom?" she asked softly, biting her lip, not exactly sure she even wanted to know. Just the thought of Angel having a child with anyone other then herself sent chills down her spine. The fact that he had an eighteen year old son that he had never told her about was a kick in the guts, one that made her want to vomit.

"Darla," he answered.

Spike saw the look of horror and pain that flashed across Buffy's face and wanted to clarify. "It's true, love, Dru told me she was back. Angel was going through a bad patch, she was there and I guess well… I'm sure you can work out what happened." He shrugged apologetically. "Fred told me Angel was pretty shocked when Darla turned up months later looking like she was ready to pop. None of them knew what was going on."

"Or if I was human," added Connor.

The Scoobies all looked at him. "Are you?" asked Buffy softly.

Connor nodded. "As far as we can tell, I am. I just have a few…extras." He grinned "Vampire strength and speed, enhanced hearing, smell and eyesight. Win, win actually."

Shock didn't even begin to describe the looks on everyone's faces as Willow surveyed the group. "There is something I don't get, you're what, eighteen?" she asked, unconsciously voicing Buffy's earlier thoughts. "I find it hard to believe that Angel failed to mention he had a son after all he and Buffy had…"

The stricken look on Buffy's face told everyone that she was thinking the same thing herself. She turned and looked at Connor, waiting for him to explain, it was a big surprise when he started laughing softly.

The teenager shook his head. "I was only born three years ago," he said.

Everyone blinked. "Come again?" squeaked Dawn as Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them vigorously before placing them back on the bridge of his nose.

"I was raised in a hell dimension by a vampire hunter called Holtz," he explained, no longer thinking of the Englishman as his father. "I was taken from Angel when I was only a few weeks old, Holtz raised me and I spent sixteen years in Quor-thor, the catch, only about two months had passed here," he told them matter-of-factly.

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh god…"

Connor shrugged. "I was a mess, I hated Angel, I hated Los Angeles….I did a lot of bad things, before Dad finally put a stop to it."

"What did he do?" asked Buffy softly. She had never realised just how much Angel had gone through since he had left Sunnydale.

"He altered everyone's memories, making a deal with Wolfram and Hart in the process. He would take over their LA office and I would get all these brand-spanking new memories, a new life, a new family. Without any knowledge of Angel, Holtz or my time in Quor-thor." He paused. "The only one that would remember would be Angel." He'd shaken his head. "He gave me up so I could have a normal life, he got a multi-dimensional company, and that shiny necklace thing in the deal as well…"

Buffy's eyes widened. "The necklace you wore when we destroyed the Hellmouth?" she'd asked Spike.

The blonde vampire nodded "Yep, deal with a devil if you ask me…"

"So why are you here?" asked Buffy, turning her head and looking at Connor again

Connor rolled his eyes. "Because nothing ever turns out how you want it to! Demons came after me, and my new parents had heard of Wolfram and Hart. I met Angel, I had no idea what was going on then. Wesley knew something was up, he was always good at figuring out stuff like that, anyway he did something, smashed a globe… suddenly I could remember everything. I had my real memories of Quor-thor and Angel and the team, and then I had the fabricated memories of the Reilly's." He paused and looked down. "It took me a while to work out what was real," he whispered.

"So have I met you before?" asked Willow.

Connor nodded. "Yeah, last year when you had to come to Los Angeles to do a spell. You don't remember because only Wes, Illyria and I remember. You weren't there when Wes smashed that magical globe. My parents, the Reilly's, they don't know either," he'd explained.

Buffy looked down, she was shaking slightly. "So he's gone," she whispered. "He's really gone." She'd felt the tears again, and sniffed desperately to keep them from falling.

Spike paused, and then reached out slowly and squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture. "He really is, love," he had said around the lump in his throat.

Back in the present Buffy shook her head, coming out of her musings as Giles called her name sharply. She jerked in her seat; sitting up startled and then looked guiltily towards her former Watcher. "Sorry Giles," she muttered, "Go on…."

Giles cleared his throat loudly. "As I was saying the Cleveland Hellmouth is unusually quiet of late…"

(v)

Washington DC

FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth lay flat on his back on the hospital gurney as he stared up at the perfectly white ceiling and the bright halogen lights of the surgery room. He started counting backwards, the drugs pumping through his system quickly, making him feel sleepy. His eyelids became heavy and he blinked a few times, instinctively trying to keep himself awake. Unwilling to let himself go just yet.

In the last few seconds of conscious thought, he turned his head and looked through the glass window at the tall, strikingly beautiful anthropologist who had been his partner for the past four years. He smiled as Dr. Brennan raised her hand and waved at him. His thoughts were starting to become muddled, the edges of his vision starting to blacken uncontrollably, and he sighed in resignation. Finally his eyes closed and didn't open again. The anaesthetists checked his vitals' and quickly nodded to the doctor.

Dr Brennan was pulled away, a young nurse grabbing her arm and slowly leading her away. A curtain was closed, to screen off the surgery, as the doctor picked up a scalpel. "Ok people," he muttered, "let's get to work."

(v)

Seeley Booth dreamed. A series of vivid physic flashes, memories that were not his own were forming in his brain, memories that were both calming, and memories that were so filled with terror he felt his body shiver in fear. He could see, hear, smell and touch. It all felt so real, yet it couldn't be. Could it? None of these things were familiar to him; the people he saw were all strangers.

There was a blonde girl, small and strong and full of fire, her spirit untamed. She had a sword in her hand and was crying as she rammed the steel through his chest.

He was in the middle of an ice skating rink, and the same blonde girl who had rammed a sword through his chest was standing before him and her lips were pressed against his. Even in his unconscious state he could tell the kiss was passionate, that it lit a fire within him.

Another memory, an older one this time showed a dark haired girl huddled in a church, her dress was better described as rags and her cheeks were tear stained as she looked up at him and prayed.

The same girl, her eyes wide and crazy was hanging on the arms of a young man with curly mousy-brown hair. Behind them the sky was on fire and the man smirked as he licked blood from his lips.

He saw a young black man and a skinny waif of a girl smiling happily as they stood in the sunshine, a tall, bespeckled man sat at a desk engrossed in a book. A baby cried in a bassinet, and a pregnant woman huddled in the rain, her small hands clutching her belly desperately.

The images became strange and he saw a blue-haired dominatrix in red-leather and a green-skinned man with red horns in a bright blue suit. An angry teenager with a bomb shouted at him. A curvy young woman, her dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders laughed with a smiling Irishman.

The places were surprising and otherworldly, old buildings made of stone, a run-down hotel, and a tall state-of-the art skyscraper. He saw the inside of a small dark apartment, and the beautiful interior of a London townhouse.

He rocked slowly as he huddled in the wooden hull of a large ship. He pulled a thread-bare coat around his shoulders as he ducked his head and walked down a dirty New York street. He stood in the smoke surrounded by fire trucks, and tried to appear casual as he belted out the words to 'Mandy' under a bright spotlight.

All these scenes were merely a flash in his mind, one minute they were there the next they had slipped from his grasp.

The last scene he saw was of an alley, rain was bucketing down. The black man and the blue haired woman were standing behind him. Next to him stood a man with white-blonde bleached hair.

All four of them stood tall, despite the ache in their bodies. Booth knew he was hurt the sword in his hand was hanging limp. He took a deep breath, and spoke, "Let's get to work."

And his mind went blank.

(v)

Washington DC, May 15th 2009

Temperance 'Bones' Brennan sat in the uncomfortable plastic hospital chair. A laptop was perched on her knee as she sat beside the hospital bed where Booth slept peacefully. He was perfectly still, the frown lines in his forehead smoothed out in sleep. His chest rose and fell rhythmically as he breathed; the monitors beside him beeped and buzzed, numbers and lines flashing across the dark screens as they monitored his heart and breathing rate.

Brennan was worried, the surgery had been a success, but with all brain surgery there was still a great deal of risk. She was worried that Booth wouldn't wake up, so she hadn't left his side since he had come out of surgery a few hours ago, and decided to pass the time by writing another chapter of her new book.

On the bed Booth stirred, muttering in his sleep. Bones couldn't understand what he was saying, but he thrashed in the bed and the monitors beeped their process. A nurse hurried into the room and checked his vitals, opened his eyes and flashed a small torch across his pupils. She smiled softly.

"He's waking up," she announced. "I'll get the doctors; we have to take the tube out of his mouth."

Brennan nodded, closed her laptop and placed it on the chair beside her. She wrung her hands nervously, biting her lip and waiting impatiently as the doctor entered; in that leisurely, unhurried pace all doctors seem to have. He checked Booth's monitors again and nodded to the nurse who unclipped a few tubes and slowly pulled the tube from Booth's mouth and placed it on a tray beside the bed.

With a small smile at Brennan, the nurse left the room. The doctor checked Booth's pulse, wrote a few things on the clipboard and then swept from the room without even acknowledging the nervous anthropologist.

Slowly, Brennan turned towards Booth, scooted forward in her chair and laid a hand on the side of the bed, inches from his hand. With a swift glance at his face she shifted her hand and placed it on top of his. His hand jerked and she pulled hers away instantly as he shifted and muttered something unintelligible. His eyelids fluttered and he groaned as he opened his eyes.

Brennan sucked in a deep breath. "Booth," she gasped.

Booth sucked in a deep breath and glanced towards her. He blinked and frowned. "Who are you?" he asked.

Bones' mouth popped open as she started at her partner in shock; this was the last thing she was expecting.

Everything happened quickly after that, Brennan called the doctor, who asked Booth a series of questions. "It doesn't make any sense." He said to the doctor as he explained that he remembered all different things about himself that contradicting each other.

Including a father who drank to much and one who was always disappointed. A impressionable younger sister verses a charming younger brother, and most importantly a shiny broadsword and long black coat compared to his sniper rifle and desert fatigues.

Brennan was worried, he never once mentioned her, and she knew Booth had never wielded a sword in his life. When the doctor left, Booth frowned, looked her in the eye, trying to remember. After a few minutes his dark brown eyes started to clear and he murmured, "Bones?" softly. The anthropologist smiled happily, feeling incredibly relieved that he finally remembered her.

"You remember now?" she asked softly.

He frowned again but nodded. "I don't know, I didn't know you at first but things are coming back to me now." He paused. "But I remember other things too,"

Brennan cocked her head curiously and blinked. "What kind of memories?" she asked.

He shifted on the bed, looked down and locked his hands together over his chest, folding them protectively over his heart. He paused. "I remember people….lots of people I have never met before, a blonde girl, and a brunette…" He frowned. "… and a teenage boy who looks at me angrily."

"Booth?" Bones said in concern.

"No, Bones… I know what you're going to say, and these aren't dreams, these aren't just some manifestations of my subconscious. I'm remembering these things for the first time," he told her desperately.

The anthropologist frowned, not convinced. "Are they old memories?" she asked softly,

Booth paused. "Only a few years, most of them anyway, others seem older." He blinked as an image flashed through his mind.

_He stumbled drunkenly out of a noisy pub, his arms over the shoulders of a mate as they laughed heartily. His friend tripped and sprawled on the floor, he looked down and laughed._

"_Ahh…just sleep thar then" he muttered, his accent Irish. He chuckled and raised his head, noticing a young woman standing in the mouth of an alley. She turned her head and he felt his breath hitch at her beauty, his body unconsciously responding as she smirked, tossed her head and walked away._

_He found himself following the beautiful blonde woman, stumbling every now and then; he rounded a corner and found her standing in the middle of the alley, her back to him and her old-fashioned white dress hugging her womanly curves. He ran his eyes over her shapely form. "Now, what's a fine lass like ya doing in an alley with the reputation this one has?" he asked._

_The woman turned his head, and he noticed her eyes were a bright cornflower blue. She smiled. _

"_Maybe I'm not the girl you think I am," she purred seductively. ._

Booth took a deep breath and shook his head frantically, desperately trying to put the images out of his mind. "Some of them feel…different," he admitted softly. "As if it's me, but not me. I feel…. different, angry, hungry….manic." He paused, glanced at Dr. Brennan before quickly looked down in embarrassment.

Brennan paused, and watched the FBI agent in concern. She tried smiling at him encouragingly. "Booth, its ok," she said softly, patting his hand awkwardly as she attempted to reassure him.

He shook his head frantically. "No, it's not. I want to get to the bottom of this Bones. I want to know who these people are." He looked her directly in the eye. "I don't know who I am anymore, Bones," he told her softly. "But I intend to find out!"

He looked down at his arm, grabbed hold of the tube sitting on his wrist and pulled it out with a soft tug. Bones winced, gasping as Booth grunted in pain.

He threw the covers off, revealing he was only wearing a hospital gown, and swung his legs over the side, before slowly getting to his feet. Brennan's eyes widened as the loose ties of his gown exposed the strong muscles of his back and the curve of his buttocks to her startled gaze.

She looked away hastily, a blush tinging her cheeks, feeling incredibly flustered. Booth walked to the chair on the other side of the room, shifted through his bag and pulled out a pair of jeans, a shirt and some undies before turning to the waiting anthropologist. He looked her in the eye.

"I can't just sit around and do nothing," he told her. "I have to find out what's going on."

Bones nodded silently, completely agreeing with him as he turned and slipped into the little bathroom, closing the door behind him with a soft click.


	2. Chapter 2

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 2

Washington DC, June 5th 2009

Seeley Booth sighed loudly as he rubbed his forehead; it had been almost three weeks since the surgery. The doctors hadn't let him check out that afternoon and he ended up staying another week. The last two he had spent at home, catching up on the football, going to doctors and specialists, getting tests, and relaxing on the couch. He was so bored! He was no closer to getting reinstated with the FBI. Apparently temporary memory loss, if only for a couple of hours was a serious thing.

He shook his head and turned to look at his partner. He was sitting on the couch in Bones' office in the Jeffersonian, while she was currently engrossed in typing out a few reports on her computer. Booth sighed again loudly, shifted further into the seat and lowered his arm so it rested on the back of the chair.

Brennan's fingers stilled and she looked up from her work briefly, her bright blue eyes illuminated by the computer's soft glow. She paused, a small frown on her delicate features. "What's wrong?" she wondered in concern.

For someone so brilliant there was something incredibly naïve about her. The human world was a complete mystery to her, Booth smiled inwardly, that's what he loved most about her, why he enjoyed working with her. She saw the world in a completely different way than he did; more focused on the facts of the case than the actions of the people that were involved in them. He looked up into her eyes. "I still have another week until my review. Until then I'm stuck, resting on my ass with nothing to do."

"Ass is not the correct term you know; the correct term for the buttocks is _gluteus maximus_…" She paused at Booth's annoyed look. "You're not interested are you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm really not." He said and sighed softly again. "I'm not used to this, Bones; doing nothing….I don't like it. Plus, I keep dreaming of all these people, and places I haven't been to."

Brennan opened her mouth to respond when Angela walked into the room, her dark wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders. She had a colourful green dress on under her dark blue science coat and the bangles around her wrists jingled together as she walked.

She stopped in front of Bones' desk. "Hey Sweetie," she said, raising her eyebrow as she handed Brennan a final facial reconstruction of their latest case.

Angela turned her head and smiled at Booth. "Hey Booth."

Booth merely grunted his acknowledgement as Brennan smiled at the artist apologetically. "He's been having dreams," she whispered conspiracy, though still loud enough that Booth heard every word.

He turned his head and frowned at her. "I can hear you, you know." he muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Angela laughed. "Was it a good dream? Want to tell me all about it?" Her smirk was devilish.

Booth laughed and just shook his head at her antics. "It's not that type of dream Angela."

Brennan frowned; she had missed the play on words. She glanced swiftly at Booth and then up at Angela. "He has been dreaming about people he hasn't met," she told the artist.

Angela looked interested and perched on the edge of Brennan's desk. "Really?"

Booth shrugged. "They're memories, I know that…I just can't remember." He chuckled and shook his head. "I have no idea who these people are!"

"So draw them?" suggested Angela softly

Booth made a face and snorted. "I'm not an artist, Angie," he said.

Angela chucked. "With those big hands of yours?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I know that, Booth, but even if you just try…it could help you get a hit."

Booth's eyes widened as he flipped his legs off the couch and stood up. "Maybe they'll be on file." He actually looked excited by the prospect

Brennan smiled. "Maybe you can get your answers after all Booth." she told him happily.

(v)

Later that night Booth was sitting at the kitchen table in his apartment, his dinner of steak, vegetables and a beer was sitting forgotten beside him as he hunched over the piece of paper in front of him. So engrossed in his drawing he didn't notice his dinner getting cold.

Time passed as he slowly moved his pencil over the paper, giving form and emotion to the otherwise lifeless object.

Slowly a portrait formed of a young girl, Booth knew her hair would be blond, her eyes hazel, her cute little nose crinkling slightly as she smiled.

_He walked down the small flight of stone steps and entered the mausoleum; a short blond girl parried a tall man's punch and swung her bright red scythe across his chest. The man dropped and he stepped forward, he felt no remorse for the dead man as the young woman looked up at him and smiled._

"_Hey," he murmured_

_She smiled and took a few steps towards him, lowering the scythe. She grabbed his shirt in one hand and pulled him close. She leaned up on her tiptoes as he bent down and kissed him, her lips soft and responsive. His eyes closed involuntary and he moaned softly. She took a deep breath and stepped back, her cheeks were flushed as she gazed up at him._

_He chuckled. "Not exactly the welcome I was expecting, but hey I'm not complaining," he stated, grinning._

_The girl smiled and opened her mouth to reply when behind her the man she had just killed jumped to his feet. His face was twisted into an angry scowl his eyes deep pools of blackness._

"_You'll pay for that bitch," he hissed in a southern twang._

His hand moved over the paper steadily, his mind wandering as he continued to work. Finally, Booth blinked and put the pencil down, his wrist cramping from hours working on the drawing. Coming out of his daze he looked down at the picture. It was beautiful, the pencil strokes soft, the lines sure and strong, emotion pouring out of the perfectly formed picture. His eyes opened wide in shock. "What the hell!"

(v)

The next day Booth stalked into the Jeffersonian; the picture clutched in his hand, he walked into Angela's office, noticing the entire team standing around as she showed them her new sketch. They all looked up as he stormed in; he gritted his teeth together as he thrust the sketch into her hands. Angela blinked and then looked down at the picture.

Her eyes opened wide and she gasped softly. "Oh, Booth," she breathed, reaching out and touching the picture in awe. "This is beautiful."

Booth huffed. "Yeah, yeah…it's great," he muttered. "But Angela, I can't draw."

Angela shook her head and raised the picture to show the rest of the team. "So modest," she said with a chuckle as Cam's, Hodgin's and Brennan's eyes all widened in disbelief. "I don't know what made you think you couldn't draw, but Booth, this is…" She shook her head, at a loss for words. "…extraordinary."

Brennan reached out and slowly took the drawing from Angela's fingers, gazing down at it. "This is so lifelike….." She looked over the picture carefully, her eyes drinking in every detail. "She's pretty," she murmured looking up at Booth quickly.

Cam glanced toward Booth and smiled gently as he shrugged awkwardly. Hodgins leaned over Brennan's shoulder and looked at the picture too, whistling softly.

"Wow man, she's hot!" He smirked, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked up Booth.

Booth glared and snatched the picture from Bones' grasp, huffing angrily as he rolled the drawing up and stuffed it in the pocket of his leather jacket.

"Ok, enough. Can we focus here? Angela, can you identify her?" he asked

Angela nodded and held out her hand, raising her eyebrows. Booth grinned awkwardly and reached into his jacket and handed her the picture again. Angela grabbed the drawing, took it over to her computer and quickly scanned it into the system. The Blonde's picture quickly popped up on the projector board, Angela quickly typed a few characters into her portable keypad and a series of screens popped up, she quickly flicked through the relevant screen's adding details, asking Booth if he knew anything else about her appearance.

Booth frowned, scratched his head. "She's short," he murmured softly holding out his hand and holding it at chest height, "About here."

Angela quickly estimated the height between Booth's hand and the floor. "About 5'2," she confirmed, nodding and adding the new information into the database. The computer whirled to life, pictures of girls and young woman, all different hair colors, all with varying Caucasian features flashed across the screen.

Finally the computer beeped and a picture popped up onto the screen. It was of a young blonde girl, five or so years younger than the image Booth had provided. Her wide hazel eyes stared determinedly at the camera, her mouth set angrily. Angela leaned forward and cocked her head. "A one Buffy Summers, suspect in two separate murder investigations in a small town of Sunnydale, California in 1998." She frowned. "She was seventeen, that makes her what?… 28?" She glanced at Booth.

He was staring at the mug-shot in disbelief. His mouth opened and he struggled to find the words; finally he cleared his throat. "I never actually thought it was real. I never thought she was actually a real person." he muttered shaking his head.

Angela bit her lip. "So you're actually remembering real people?" She sounded excited. Booth couldn't share the artist's enthusiasm, he was hoping the dreams he was having could just be that, dreams. Instead he had just found out that one of the people, who featured so predominantly in his dreams, was an actual person. A living breathing American, with thoughts and feeling just like anyone else.

He bit his lip and swallowed softly, he didn't know what to do. He glanced at Angela again and winced. "Does she have an address?" he asked quietly in anticipation.

Angela studied the file again and started typing. "We can check the IRS and DMV databases," she told him, entering in Buffy's details. The computer whirled for a few seconds and then beeped happily before her address and employment details popped up onto the screen.

"She lives in Cleveland," Booth said, and smiled.

Angela stared at the screen. "She works at a school, and is a member of a company called 'The Council'." She sounded interested.

Meanwhile Hodgins had been standing on the other side of the room, looking thoughtful as he scratched his chin. "Did you say she lived in Sunnydale?" he asked curiously. Booth and Angela turned around and looked at him, Booth nodded, wondering what the other man was getting at.

Hodgins looked interested. "It's just…" he started "…I remember this report on the news, about 6 years ago now. About this town, about the strange things that happened there. Government facilities and cover-ups. It's a conspiracy man, a few of my friends went there a few years ago, and I haven't heard from them since."

Booth sighed softly; looked up at the projector screen again, and gazed into Buffy's eyes. He turned his head and glanced at Brennan. "Do you want to take a trip to California?" he asked her, cracking a small smile.

Brennan sighed. "There's nothing there, Booth," she told him softly.

"I know, but…." He bit his lip. "It's just something that I need to do, Bones, I need to see what happened to that place," he trailed off and looked away.

Bones paused. "Is this because of the girl?" she asked, glancing up at the screen where Buffy's mug shot was still staring out at them. Booth didn't answer but Bones knew that was the reason he wanted to go. She smiled softly, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Of course," she said.

Booth grinned. "Thanks Bones," he said, taking a step towards her and giving her a quick hug. "This is great."

(v)

California, USA, June 7th 2009

Brennan and Booth headed north, along the highway heading out of Los Angeles, towards the small seaside town of Sunnydale. Booth estimated the trip would take about two hours.

He reached over and fiddled with the dashboard, turning up the music in the small, electric blue VW Bug they had rented for the trip. The FBI had refused to pay because he hadn't been reinstated yet, despite being one of the best agents in the bureau. So Booth was forced to pay for the trip himself, while he would have loved to drive the black Dodge SVU, an absolute beast of a car, he was forced to rent the cheapest car possible.

He could have asked Bones to chip in, the sale of her new book was doing well, and she was quiet well off. A fact she never failed to point out to him, but Booth had some very old fashioned feelings about woman paying for things, it ranked right up there with opening doors and pulling chairs out. It was just something he didn't want to ask.

The little car started to whine in protest as the speedometer inched slowly forward and he sighed in annoyance, taking his foot off the gas and easing down in speed. At times like this he cursed his male chauvinistic pride.

In the passenger seat Brennan reached into her bag, pulled on a pair of dark sunglasses and looked out the window. "What are you hoping to find Booth?" she asked. "It's been almost twelve years since that picture was taken, the odds of her still being in that small town isn't a very high number." She turned and looked at him.

Booth knew she was concerned and he smiled at her, pleased at her reaction. He chuckled and then with a smirk, he turned his head and looked at her through his own pair of glasses, the golden lenses flashing in the afternoon sunlight.

"I know she isn't here, but I need to see the place where it all started. If I knew this girl when she was here maybe someone in this town knows me." He told her with conviction, his dark eyes imploring her to understand. "This is not something I'm just going to ignore," he told her softly. "I want to get to the bottom of this, sooner rather than later.

He turned his head back to the road and frowned. These dreams he was having were getting worse and worse. When he was in surgery they were just flashes, a few faces, a few scenes. But the last couple of days the dreams had been getting more and more detailed. He was there, experiencing the dream as if it had really happened. They were feeling more and more like a lost memory then a dream.

Just last night the dream he had was so vivid he had awoken covered in sweat, jumping out of bed and crouching, his teeth bared like an animal. The dream had been haunting him ever since.

_He ran through the woods, the thorns and braches snapping and snarling against his bare flesh. He was naked, except for a flimsy pair of torn shorts. He was covered in dirt and blood; the scent filled his nostrils as he fled through the woods. He stopped and paused, turning his nose to the wind and sniffed delicately. A low growl rumbled through his chest and he took off again, running in another directing, jumping over rocks and ducking over low hanging branches, finally he came to a clearing, a young man standing next to a tent looked up in horror, his eyes going wide and his mouth opening to scream when he darted forward, seized the man around the shoulders and bit the man's neck._

The dream had ended then as Booth had cried out in horror and scrambled from his bed. It had taken him a few minutes to comprehend where he was, the bedroom strange to his eyes as he looked around the room for any threat. It was only then, when his brain started to process again that he realised he was crouching, his teeth bared, and an angry snarl ripping from his throat.

Now, hours later as Booth drove towards Sunnydale, he still didn't know what to think, the dream had left him feeling disturbed, angry and worried. He didn't know what the hell was happening to him.

The dream he'd had on the plane flying from Washington DC to Los Angeles was even worse. He shook his head, gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and gritted his teeth as he frantically tried to keep the images from floating through his head again. But it did no use, and against his will Booth started to remember the dream.

_He was walking along a dark tunnel; the walls were dripping with water, the rocks uneven and broken. Some ingrained instinct told him he was underground. Beside him, a dark-haired boy looked at him warily. He opened his mouth but Booth couldn't understand what he was saying. He felt a wave of anger at the boy's comments and turned away, he started walking fast and the boy fell into step behind him. Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over him, he felt a chill wash down his spine and he lunged forward, breaking into a run as he shouted something at the boy. He came to an opening in the tunnel and found himself looking out into an underground cavern, in the far corner of the cave there was an altar. In the middle of the space was a deep pool of water, an underground lake. On the edge, lying face down, her head in the water was a girl._

_He shouted frantically and jumped down the embankment, he felt the boy's presence behind him, panic and fear rolled off him in waves. He reached the girl and pulled her from the water, her eyes were closed and her chest was still. He looked up as the boy knelt beside him. "She's dead," he heard himself whisper, his hearing suddenly returning._

_The boy frowned. "Ever head of CPR?" he snapped. "It's worth a shot."_

"I don't breath," he whispered.

_The boy held out his hands and looked the girl from him. "Looks like it's up to me," he said as he opened the girls mouth and bent down to give her mouth to mouth. Booth shifted, worry seeping through him as he watched the boy push air into her lungs and move his hands to pump at her chest. His movements frantic, yet perfectly controlled._

_Suddenly, the girl gasped and sucked in a deep breath, her eyes popped open and she started to cough frantically, water trickling down her chin. She clutched at the boy and turned her head to look him directly in the eye. She stared at him for a second, and then she smiled, a radiant smile that lit up her entire face._

Booth shook his head again, it didn't register at the time but as he had gotten off the plane he had almost gasped out loud. The girl had been Buffy. That girl, now a woman had almost died in a cave and he had been there. A part of him wondered at the _I don't breath _comment, maybe he'd had asthma… a small part of him also couldn't help but feel jealous that the other boy had presses his lips on hers.

"Booth!" shouted Bones frantically, her voice raised in horror.

Booth shook his head frantically, coming to himself just in time to notice the huge crater coming towards them at breakneck speed as he drove towards it. "Shit!" he snapped. He slammed his foot onto the brake, shifting down in gears as the small car skidded and then finally stopped only a few meters from the edge. Both Brennan and Booth took deep, shaky breaths. Then Booth chuckled softly, causing Brennan to give him a scandalous look before he opened the door and stepped out. Brennan took another deep breath, calming her racing heart before she got out of the car and headed towards the edge of the crater.

They both looked out over the edge; it was huge, perhaps a hundred miles in diameter. Booth frowned, took a step forward and looked carefully over the edge. "Look Bones." He pointed down at something below them.

Brennan frowned and took a few cautious steps forward to stand beside him, Booth took hold of her elbow, steadying her as she leaned forward and looked down. Perhaps a hundred meters below there was an old battered street sign, barely visible was the words _Welcome to Sunnydale _painted on the sign. Brennan blinked in surprise and turned to look at Booth in shock.

He chuckled at her reaction. "I guess we found it." He shook his head, looked out at the crater and whistled again, impressed.

Brennan frowned again. "I've had better receptions," she muttered darkly, taking a step back from the craters edge.


	3. Chapter 3

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 3

Cleveland, Ohio

June 14th 2009

Buffy Summers sighed softly as she walked slowly through the abandoned warehouse district. There had been a lot of vampire activity in the area of late and rather than take a squad of Slayers with her, she decided to go patrolling by herself. She needed a good fight after being stuck at her desk for the last couple of weeks.

She twirled her stake in her hand as she walked into a debilitated building, all the windows were broken and there were bits and pieces of building equipment everywhere. A few metal drums and planks of wood were stacked in a corner and a number of corrugated iron sheets leaned against the back wall. She stopped in the entrance, looking around carefully before moving further inside.

The place was deserted, as was the next building and the one next to that as well. After staking no vamps and spending the entire night wandering the streets, she felt it was finally time to go home. That was when things started looking up.

At that moment, there was a crash and the sound of metal hitting concrete; she grinned. "Finally," she breathed, clutching her stake tightly as she broke into a run and headed for the noise.

She found two vampires, laughing quietly as they walked drunkenly away from a body of a young man lying in the middle of an abandoned building. Buffy froze, feeling a pang of sadness at the loss of the life she couldn't save. Both vampires looked up, their yellow demonic eyes wide with shock. The one on the right snarled angrily as it recognised her.

"Slayer," he hissed through his deformed mouth.

Buffy smiled. "Name's Buffy, I would ask you yours, but I just don't care."

The vampires growled loudly. Buffy lunged forward, kicked out quickly and punched the vampire that was closest to her, her fists moving almost too fast to see. The other vampire came at her from the side and punched her in the face. She stumbled, and both vampires lunged at her. One of them grabbed her around the waist, holding her tightly, so her back was pressed against his chest. He snarled and she felt his breath on the back of her neck. She narrowed her eyes, dropped her arms and grabbed his hands, bending forward and causing the vampire to lean forward with her. Flipping him over her back she threw him to the floor.

Buffy raised her stake and plunged it down into his heart. The vampire's eyes widened in surprise; he gave a soft groan and then crumpled to dust.

She heard a police siren in the background, its soft wail getting louder as they got closer and closer. Buffy glanced up just in time to see the other vampire lunge at her, he grabbed her around the shoulders and threw her to the floor. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, and her stake clattered against the floor as she lost her grip. It rolled away against the wooden floor.

The vampire pounced on her, his teeth snapping. She rolled away desperately. She reached out and punched it on the nose. The vampire stumbled back, snarling as Buffy scrambled to her feet. She ran over to her stake and snatched it up, turning she kicked out at the vampire again, causing it to fall back against the wall. She ran after it and plunged the stake into its chest. The vampire screamed in defiance and dusted. She coughed and took a step back as the dust wafted up into her throat.

The sirens were louder now as the police cars squealed to a stop in front of the abandoned warehouse. She had no idea why they were here, maybe her fight was louder then she had thought, or maybe the vampires had been making too much noise. Either way, the police were now on her trail.

The front door burst open with a clang of metal and a whole squad of policemen ran inside, guns up and cocked, flashlights bouncing around in the darkness. Her eyes widened and she ran out the back of the building. There were shouts behind her as the police spotted her before a second later the warehouse was filled with the sound of gunfire. The wall beside her was peppered with bullets as she ducked and slipped through a small doorway. She ran down a short narrow corridor towards a door at the back of the building. She grabbed the large metal bar across the heavy, steel enforced door and heaved. The door groaned loudly in protest as she pulled it open and slipped outside.

She froze. Three policemen stood a few meters in front of her, their faces obscured by the protective riot gear they were wearing. Their pistols pointed directly at her glinted ominously in the moonlight. "Hands up, now!" yelled the nearest officer. "Hands up where I can see them." Her eyes widened as she slowly raised her hands into the air.

'Shit," she muttered to herself as the man on the right holstered his gun and took a few steps towards her, turning her around, getting her to face the wall and handcuffing her arms behind her back.

"I didn't do anything!" she cried.

"I'd advise you to be quiet ma'am, anything you say can be used as evidence in a caught of law," he recited with practice.

Buffy sighed, letting the man pull her around, out of the factory and towards a parked police car. _Damn,_ she thought desperately. _Giles is going to flip!_

(v)

Hoover FBI building

Washington DC, June 15th 2009

Seeley Booth groaned and rubbed his hand down his face as he sat outside the shooting range in the lower floors of the FBI building. He had been reinstated in the agency just a couple of days ago, but he was still waiting to get his gun license back. He had been talking to Dr. Sweets about his 'feelings', he had just solved his first case since having the surgery and he was quietly relieved that he still knew how to do the FBI-Agent thing.

He took another deep breath; he was nervous, which was silly. He had done these range tests every couple of years since he had entered the FBI. He was a superb shot, he hadn't missed in years, and he wasn't bragging. He knew he was good; he was even willing to bet that he was one of the best shots in the FBI.

He sighed again; no, his nervousness had nothing to do with the test, and everything to do with the fact he'd had another of those weird dreams last night, he hadn't slept well at all and the dream had left him tossing and turning. Even now, hours later the memory was etched into his brain. He shook his head desperately and placed his head in his hands as he remembered the strange dream.

_The apartment was dark, he paused in the doorway and snarled softly. "What the hell are you doing here, Darla?" he snapped, stepping further into the room and closing the door behind him._

_There was a giggle from the corner and a short, blonde, young woman wearing a catholic schoolgirl's uniform stepped forward. He reached out and turned a the table lamp on, revealing her small heart-shaped face. Her blue eyes were wide and knowing, her mouth turned up into a cruel, seductive smile. She gripped the edge of her short skirt and pulled it out, cocking her head to the side. "You like?" she whispered, bending her knee and tilting her hips as she looked up at him through hooded lashes._

_He was angry, but he wasn't sure why. "Last time I saw you it was Kimonos," he murmured, his voice perfectly controlled_

_She sneered at him. "And last time I saw you it wasn't high school girls," she snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously._

_He sighed. "What are you doing here, Darla?" he asked again in annoyance._

_The young woman sighed and took a few steps forwards so she was standing just in front of him. She placed a cool palm over his chest. "Come, join us. Let the blood of the innocent flow in our wake again." Her smile was predatory_

_He shook his head. "I'm not like you," he snapped, a low snarl rumbling in his chest._

_Darla glared and took a step back to the window, she grabbed the rope holding the blinds closed and pulled, the blind snapped up and sunlight streamed into the room. He hissed and jumped back into the shadows. _

_On the other side of the room, Darla's startling blue eyes looked at him in contempt. "Maybe not," she murmured. "But your not exactly one of them either."_

"Agent Booth," a strong clear voice, sounded in his ear.

Booth jumped, startled, and looked up. Another agent stood in front of him, looking a little annoyed. "You're up," he told him.

Booth nodded, got to his feet and followed the other agent into the shooting range. They checked his ID again, handed him a standard issue gun, a pair of goggles, and ear muffs before directing him to a free range.

Booth took his time, checking the gun, steadying his hand and taking a deep breath. Finally he nodded and gave the thumbs up towards the young official before slowly raised his gun.

He fired it in quick succession, keeping both of his eyes open and holding his arms steady as he let of a quick round of shots. Each muffled 'boom' was followed by a quick jerk as the gun recoiled. Finally there was a click of an empty chamber and Booth lowered the gun, a small smile finally making an appearance for the first time that day.

The official pressed a button on the panel beside the cubical and the cardboard target was rolled towards them. When it stopped just a few meters in front of him, Booth's smile became wider. A cluster of bullet holes surrounded the area on the left side of its upper chest, over the place where a heart would have beaten. The official leaned forward and then turned to him with a smile on her face.

"Well done Agent Booth," she said, writing a few things in her notes. "I believe you've just passed."

Booth smiled back, and took of his earmuffs and goggles and placed the safety back on the gun. "Thanks, I hate when I don't have my gun. I just feel so naked without it you know?" he replied. The official blinked, looking startled then she blushed slightly and ducked her head in embarrassment.

Booth was completely unaware of the hopeless woman's blush, and turned away. "I'm assuming I'll get my own gun back, not this standard issue crap?" he asked her.

The woman, who seemed to get her emotions under control, smiled up at the tall agent. "Certainly, I wouldn't use one of the standards either."

Booth grinned back and walked with her to the desk where she filled out a number of forms and got him to sign a few official looking documents before she reached into the shelves behind her and pulled out a plain box handing him his gun. He turned the Glock over in his hands, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon and the smooth feel of the metal in his hands. He grinned, pulled the holster out of the box as well and fastened it around his waist.

"Is that all?" he asked.

The woman nodded. "Yeah, but…"

"Great!" He smirked. "Hope to never see you again; and I mean that not how it sounded."

The young woman smiled again as he turned and walked out of the room. Then she shook her head.

"Focus," she muttered to herself before she pulled out another stack of documents and started sorting through them.

(v)

The Police Station

Cleveland Ohio, June 15th 2009

Buffy leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands; she was in a stark-white interview room. One wall had a mirror across the length; she knew it was one of those two-way mirrors where the police officers could stand on the other side and gossip about her without her realising they were there.

"Pervs," she muttered to herself, tossing her hair over her shoulders as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. It had been hours since she had been brought in, stuffed in the nearest interview room, the handcuffs had been removed and they had shut the door behind them. She had been here all night and hadn't seen anyone else; she was getting nervous, and angry.

She sighed and shifted in her seat again. Finally she heard a click as the door opened. She looked up at a tall thin man, who appeared to be in his late forties, his hair was a pale brown and thinning at the top, his grey eyes calculating. The other man was younger, about thirty, his hair was dark and he had a goatee and dark blue eyes.

They both walked into the room. The taller, older man didn't smile as he sat down but the younger one offered her a small grin. Buffy felt the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile in relief, she felt herself relaxing in his presence. Until his smile turned into a smirk and he leered at her, his eyes wandering over her curves.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, glaring, before turning her head and looking at the older cop. He looked her in the eye. "I'm Detective Parsons, this is Detective Jacobs." He paused and scratched his chin while he opened a file, pulled out a photo and turned it towards her. She looked down and felt her blood run cold, it was a mug shot, of her, taken at the Sunnydale police station at the time that she had been accused of killing Ted, an old boyfriend of her mothers, who also happened to be a robot.

She sucked in a deep breath and glanced up. "That was a long time ago," she said, "and I didn't do it."

Detective Parsons raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on the table as he looked her in the eye. "Yet the detectives in Sunnydale thought it was worth looking into," he said harshly.

Buffy looked down and shifted in her seat. "Are you charging me with something?" she asked softly.

Detective Parsons opened his mouth to reply when the door opened again. A younger female officer in a uniform popped her head in, her dark hair was pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail. She beckoned to Parsons who excused himself, got up and slipped out of the room.

Detective Jacobs smirked at her again, raising his eyebrows. Buffy glared at him and turned her head away, ignoring the sleaze of a detective.

The door opened again and Detective Parsons walked back into the room looking grim. He sat down again. "Forensics is there now," he started. "The commanding officer at the field just called in. There was a basement in the factory, it was full of bodies."

Buffy mouth popped open. "What?" she whispered in horror.

But Detective Parsons wasn't finished. He cleared his throat. "They were in various states of decay, some had looked like they had been there for years, decades even," he looked down and closed her file.

Buffy felt a glimmer of hope as Parsons looked her in the eye again, his grey eyes unblinking and calculating. "I'm going to ask you to stay in the city. Some of the bodies are so decomposed our forensic team will find it difficult to identify them," he murmured. "You need to stay here until we identify the rest of the bodies."

Buffy swallowed thickly. "I'm still a suspect?" she asked.

Parsons inclined his head. "You're still a person of interest; and I would like to know what you were doing in that factory." Parsons leaned forward again. "Now," he asked softly, keeping his voice low and soothing, "Why were you in that factory?"

Buffy bit her lip. "I was taking a walk…I heard a noise…" she began "I-I walked in and noticed two guys and a body lying on the floor." she bit her lip. "They ran away, and I was about to follow when you guys turned up."

"You ran," detective Parsons pointed out to her

She nodded. "I panicked," she lied.

(v)

Washington DC

Later that same day

Booth had just gotten out of his car, heading towards the entrance to the Jeffersonian when his phone started to ring.

He reached into his suit pocket and quickly pulled out the state-of-the-art phone. "Booth," he barked into the receiver as he walked quickly up the stone steps and into the Jeffersonian.

He listened intently to his director on the other end of the phone. "We'll be there tomorrow," he answered after his boss had finished talking. "Right….Bye." He pressed 'end' and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

He pushed the door to the lab open and sauntered into the room. He swiped his card past the little sensor and ran up the stairs. "Bones!" he called in greeting. The anthropologist was standing in the middle of the platform, a skeleton in front of her. Hodgins was standing on the other side, pointing to a few things on the computer screen beside them.

She turned and smiled at him. "Booth, you got your gun back."

He grinned and nodded, placing his hand on his holster. "Yeah, just had to shoot at a target, easy as pie." He stopped beside her and looked down at the skeleton. "Who's this?" he asked curiously.

"Seventeenth century sailor, found at the bottom of an excavation pit on the edge of the river," she muttered. "Just going to work out how he died, then he's going to the museum."

Booth raised his eyebrows. "Fascinating…anyway…we've just got a new case."

Bones nodded as she picked up the skull and examined it critically. "Oh….what is it?" she asked.

"Multiple skeletons found in an abandoned warehouse in Cleveland," he said.

"Cleveland?" Bones looked at him and frowned. "Isn't that where Buffy Summers lives?" she asked raising an eyebrow and giving him an exasperated look.

"Stranger things have happened." he said with a smile.

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with her? I mean you've been dreaming about her…you drew her picture…" She asked him.

Booth glared at her. "This has nothing to do with Buffy," he told her again. "Yeah, sure, I would love to know what the hell is going on. Shit, Bones, I _need_ to know what the hell is going on…but that's not the reason while I'm taking this case." He sighed again. "The police don't have the skills to identify them all…the state of decomposition is too high, which means _you_, and with the lack of records, and the victims crossing state lines…well that means it's the FBI's job, _our_ job."

Bones put the skull back down on the bench, and looked at him silently. She could see the earnest expression on his face, and the hard look in his eyes. He wanted to do this, he needed this case. Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Just let me get this skeleton bagged up and I'll pack some things and we can go," she said.

(v)

A few hours later

Booth and Brennan were sitting in coach on a United American Airlines flight from DC to Cleveland. They had managed to get the last seats on the last flight of the day. It was extremely good luck. After Brennan had stored the skeleton, they had gone to Booth's house, where he had packed a bag, before going to Brennan's apartment, where she had packed three.

They had just managed to get to the flight in time, running through the terminal, Booth flashing his badge so they didn't have to wait to be searched.

Now they were sitting in, well, relative comfort, chatting and looking through the case files that Booth had picked up from his office. There were pages upon pages of photos of the scene. The burial site looked like an excavation you would find on an archaeological dig, scaffolding and planks holding the earth back as a forensic team searched for more and more bodies. There were a few pictures of the bodies, showing where they were found. There were even a few notes on the condition of the warehouse. At the moment, only five of the bodies had been identified.

After a few hours Booth sighed and placed the files back in his briefcase and leaned back in his chair. "Wake me up when we're getting ready to land," he muttered to Bones, who was sitting next to him on the window seat, curled up and engrossed in a book. She nodded absently and turned a page. Booth sighed and wriggled down in his seat and closed his eyes. He started to dream.

_The first pictures were fuzzy and jumbled, random images with no connection to each other. There was a swirling flash of blue light, a dark cave and a black convertible crashing through a green field. Finally the pictures settled and he found himself in a large stone room; there was a red velvet carpet leading up to a dais and a thrown. Sitting in the thrown was a beautiful golden-skinned girl with short dark hair. She was wearing a golden bikini and a shimmering, sheer skirt. Every movement sent the garment jiggling; she beamed at him, her smile wide and bright. "Look, they made me princess!" she laughed._

Booth muttered in his sleep, turning onto his side and tucking his arm under his chin, he started to snore softly. Beside him, Brennan glanced down at the top of his head and smiled, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement before she turned back to her book and turned the page. Booth's dream changed again to something much more frightening, and strange.

_He was in a small dark place. Like a closet. Only not. The weight of centuries of oppression sat on his shoulders, his whole body was humming. He heard a soft rattling and a sliver of pale light appeared in front of him. Through a slatted piece of wood he saw a small door open and a girl wearing a white veil and simple white old-fashioned dress entered the other side of the confessional. She sat down and closed the door, bowing her head in a prayer. He chuckled softly and wiped the side of his mouth._

_Booth heard the girl whisper softly, "Forgive me father, for I have sinned, it has been two day's since my last confession."_

_He paused, and Booth felt a chilling delight in the girl's admission. "That's…not very long," he whispered, his mouth curving into an amused smirk._

_He wondered what he was doing here. The girl sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I have been seeing again father, visions," she whispers._

"_What things?" he asked softly. He was curious and wondered why the girl called him father? Did she think he was a priest?_

"_Horrible things! Two days ago I felt an awful tremor and my insides all knotted in terror. Last night there was a cave in, in the coal mines, two men died." Her voice was soft. "My mother said I'm a cursed," she whispered._

_His eyebrows rose in interest. "Did ya now?" he murmured interested. "Not to worry lass, you're not a cursed. Ya satan's child."_

"_The devil? No," she whispered, shaking her head. _

"_Yes the devil, wicked girl!" he said with amusement. A soft little whimper answered his admission and he chuckled darkly. Inside Booth felt his blood freeze at the sound._

"_No, Father! No! I want to be good, I want to be pure!" she screamed, tears running down her cheeks._

_He laughed, a low chuckle. "Don't worry lass," he said again reaching up and placing his palm over the wooden slats that separated them. "God is watching over you!"_

"Booth!" yelled Brennan.

Booth jerked awake with a gasp, floundering in his seat he looked around frantically. Brennan placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he gave a start, turning his head and looking at her. "You ok?" she asked softly, her voice lowered in concern.

Slowly he took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah," he muttered, sitting up straight and wiping a hand down his face. "Yeah, I'm fine…"

Bones watched as he looked away, a worried look on her face. She hoped he was going to be ok, these new memories seemed to be more trouble than they were worth.


	4. Chapter 4

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 4

Cleveland, Ohio,

Buffy sighed loudly as she pushed the doors to the school open and trudged inside; behind her the sun was just sinking over the tops of the buildings. It was sunset and she had been at the police station all day and most of the previous night. Detective Parsons had grilled her vigorously, asking her all sorts of questions about what she did and why she was at the factory. Buffy had told him she was a teacher (which wasn't really a lie) and that she worked at a school for gifted girls, (which was also not exactly a lie) but she didn't mention anything about being a Slayer, or about the real reason she was at the factory.

She walked into the large office on the side of the hall. Giles was sitting behind the large desk, a stack of papers piled up in front of him. He looked up as Buffy walked in, and got to his feet.

"Good lord!" he exclaimed. "What in the blazes happened to you?" He walked around the desk and stood in front of her.

Buffy sighed, and rolled her eyes. "One word, Giles," she said, "Police."

Giles eyes widened and he sat onto the top of the desk. "Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

Buffy nodded, walked to a vacant chair and sat down. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I was patrolling; I dusted a couple of vamps, but then the police came. They caught me….but Giles that's not the worst thing."

"What?" he asked.

"It was a nest, Giles. An old nest….there were bodies, hundreds of them buried and dumped under the warehouse."

"Good lord," Giles exclaimed again, this time taking off his glasses and cleaning them vigorously. "A nest right under our noses, that hasn't happened in a while…"

Buffy nodded. "We're getting complacent," she said, feeling angry with herself. She paused then and looked up at her former watcher. "At least the police don't think I'm a suspect, thankfully…something to do with the bodies being so old and stuff." She sighed. "But I need to find out what the hell those vampires were up too," she told him.

Giles nodded. "Yes….yes of course." He sighed again. "I'll call in the morning….we'll have a meeting tomorrow afternoon and you can tell the others what you think."

Buffy nodded and got up. "That will be good thanks. You ok here?"

He nodded. "I'm just finishing of a bit of paperwork…another two Slayers have been found. I'm arranging for them to be transferred by the end of the month."

"More of them? When Willow did that spell I never realised there would be so many." She got up and headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Giles," she told him with a smile before she headed out the door.

"Night Buffy," the watcher sighed softly, got up and walked behind his desk before sitting down again. He picked up a stack of papers and a pen and started writing.

(v)

Buffy opened the door to her small apartment and smiled as a tiny dark-haired blur ploughed into her. She took a quick step back as the tiny arms wrapped around her waist. She looked down. "Robbie!" she yelled in delight before scooping down and picking Faith's little bundle of energy up. The five year old boy grinned in delight and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Mommy and me were worried about you," he told her with a small pout.

Buffy smiled and closed the door behind her. "Well neither of you needed to be," she told him softly as she walked through the living room.

When she first moved to Cleveland she shared this apartment with Dawn. But that was a long time ago now; Dawn had moved out when she left for college, and once she married Connor, they got their own place. Now they were in Russia, and Buffy didn't know when they would be back.

She had been living with Faith and her son for the past three years. Faith had been finding it harder and harder to pay her rent and look after Robbie at the same time. So Buffy had suggested they share the apartment, it had three small bedrooms, a large living room and kitchen. Faith had thought about it for perhaps half a minute. She had looked down at the little bundle in her arms then had looked up at Buffy, and had given a rare smile. "Thanks, B," she had whispered.

The arrangement had not been without its hassles. Faith was no longer the wild child she had been, only having had a few boyfriends since Robin had died, none of which had lasted longer then a few dates. But she still had a fiery attitude and the innate ability to piss Buffy off. They would never exactly be friends, but these last couple of years they had both managed to earn each other's respect.

Buffy often thought of Robbie as a little cousin or brother, and would help out whenever she could. She would babysit if Faith had a date, or if the other Slayer wanted to patrol alone, as they both liked to do occasionally. Robbie was the son of a demon hunter, was as stubborn as a bull and as quick as a cheetah. To say he was a handful was the understatement of the century.

They had their problems, Faith and Buffy would fight all the time. But for the most part, it was an arrangement that suited both Slayers.

Buffy smiled at Robbie again and ruffled his hair playfully as she walked into the kitchen. Faith was sitting at the kitchen table; a bowl of salad and a large box of fried chicken were sitting on the table.

"Hey B!" She smirked. "I was wondering where you got to." She held out her arms and Buffy passed Robbie back to the other Slayer.

Faith kissed Robbie on the cheek, causing the little boy to make a face, Faith and Buffy both laughed. She shook her head, still smiling, and pushed her blonde hair away from her face as she grabbed a plate, sat down and started serving herself some salad and chicken. "You wouldn't believe where I've been." she said, taking her fork and spearing a piece of cheese.

She smiled at Robbie as he picked out a chicken drumstick and stuck it in his mouth. "Umm," he muttered.

Buffy laughed at the little boys antics. Faith looked down at her little boy, a warm happy smile on her face as she reached down and ruffled his hair. "Little scamp," she muttered.

"Ugh…Mom," the little boy complained, squirming of her lap and sitting down on the chair beside her.

Faith smiled and took another piece of chicken from the box. "So what happened?"

Buffy sighed softly and told Faith about the vampires, the warehouse, and the mayhem that followed.

Faith's eyes widened. "Shit," she exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror.

Robbie looked up, and pulled the chicken leg from his mouth. "Swear Jar!" he yelled in triumph, pointing at the counter and bouncing in his seat.

Buffy started laughing as Faith mock-scowled at Robbie before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a dollar bill. With a roll of her eyes she got up and dropped it in the swear jar on the edge of the counter. Robbie laughed in delight and clapped his hands.

Buffy smirked as she used her knife and fork to cut a piece of chicken. "Smooth Faith, real smooth."

(v)

Booth's Hotel Room

Cleveland, Ohio, June 16th 2009

Booth was sitting on the bed, a new sketchbook that he had bought at the corner store resting on his knees. His eyes were focused on the picture forming on the page. He wanted it just right.

There was a soft knock on the door and he sighed softly, got up and walked across the room to open it. Brennan walked into the room, her hair bouncing in her ponytail. She smiled. "You ready?" she asked. "I want to get those skeletons identified as soon as possible."

Booth nodded absently and moved to the dresser to grab his keys and wallet. Brennan noticed the sketchbook lying open on the top of the bed and picked it up curiously. She flicked through the pages; there were a number of sketches of both men and women. There were a couple of teenagers…and a sleeping baby. She saw a number of pictures she recognised as Buffy Summers, but there were also ones of a dark haired girl with long wavy hair, her eyes wide and crazy, a dark haired boy, and a young man with a scar over his eyebrow and sunken cheekbones. His hair was long and tied at the nape of his neck; she flicked another page and saw another blonde woman, a haughty expression on her face.

Booth noticed her looking through the book and his eyes narrowed. He stalked over to her, snatched it from her hand and threw it onto the table.

She looked up into his eyes and bit her lip. "The dreams haven't stopped?" she asked softly, her voice full of concern.

He shook his head as he shrugged on his jack and buttoned in up. "No," he replied.

"Booth…" she began.

"Save it, Bones, I'm fine," he told her quickly, trying to avoid another discussion on the matter.

She rolled her eyes and indicated the sketchbook. "You're drawing people you've only seen in dreams, You're not fine, Booth." She said, growing angry, and annoyed at his blasé attitude.

Booth just shrugged. "I'm working it out, Bones, ok, give me time." He sighed and rubbed his forehead

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said quietly. He turned and walked to the door. Bones paused for a second then followed. At the door she laid her hand gently on his arm and looked up into his dark eyes, they were looking more and more haunted every day.

"It's just…you don't have to do this alone Booth, I'm here, I want to help," she told him earnestly.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he smiled softly, he reached up and grabbed her hand on his arm and squeezed it tight. "I know, Bones, I know," he said. "You're a great friend." Then he laughed and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them and putting the key in his pocket as he started walking down the hall.

"Now," he muttered, "Let's go check out some dead people."

Brennan rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned and followed him down the hall.

(v)

The crime scene

A few hours later

Bones pulled on a pair of plastic, forensic gloves and bent down to look at a skull that wasn't attached to a body.

She frowned as she picked it up and examined it closely. "African American," she murmured to herself. "Judging from the wear of the teeth the victim was in his mid to late fifties." She rubbed her thumb over the skull. "Indentations in the bone indicate the late stages of Osteomyelitis." She frowned and placed the skull on the ground before straitening up and looking around the excavated space under the basement of the building.

At the moment a dozen different remains could be seen buried in the earth, they were all in various states of decay. It was going to be a massive job identifying all the victims and this wasn't even all of the bodies. Over thirty had already been transferred to the police station and were being stored there, waiting for a more detailed autopsy and for dental records to be gathered for identification.

For those that could not be identified by the standard way, Bones planned to take photos of the skulls and send the pictures to Angela, along with flesh measurements. She was hopping the artist would be able to sketch an accurate face, and then they would be able to identify the victims.

Booth stood a few feet away, a pen and a notebook in his hands. He waved it around to indicate the rest of the remains. "What about the others?" he muttered.

Bones frowned and pointed to a skeleton a few feet away. "Caucasian, male, twenty-five to thirty." She frowned as she moved closer and knelt by the bones.

"Cause of death?" he asked.

"Broken neck," she answered immediately.

_He watched her from the back of the classroom, the light from the computer screen illuminating her pretty, striking features. He waited patiently._

_A few seconds later she looked up and gasped in horror, throwing her head back and standing up quickly, backing up hastily. "What are you doing here?" she whispered._

_He chuckled. "The sign at the front of the school…'Formatia trans sicere educatorum." he smirked evilly._

"_Enter those who seek knowledge," she whispered her shoulders slumping in defeat._

_He chuckled. "Well, what can I say, I'm a knowledge seeker." He grinned, standing up he stalked towards her._

_The woman backed away hastily, quivering in fear. "Angel…" she whispers. "I-I have good news." _

"_I heard," he murmured as he stops on the other side of the desk, leaned his knuckles on the wood and looked her in the eye. "You went shopping at the local boogety -boogety store." He smirked and looked down at the desk. He noticed the crystal orb and picked it up, twirling it in his hands. "Ah…The Orb of Thesulah…if memory serves, this is supposed to summon a person's soul, from the ether…and store it until it can be restored." As he held the Orb in his hands it started to glow with a golden light, he glanced up at the woman and smirked._

_The woman backed away from him, stumbling and leaning against the wall._

_He felt himself smile. "You know what I hate about these things?" he started conversationally. He grinned and threw the Orb at the blackboard, shattering it into a million pieces. "They're just so damn fragile." He chuckled. Must be that shitty gypsy craftsmanship."_

_The woman was shaking; she slowly edged away, heading towards the door._

_He growled softly and she stopped. Slowly he reached out, grabbed the PC and turned it so he can see the monitor. "It never ceases to amaze me, how much the world has changed in two hundred and fifty years," he muttered in something akin to awe._

"_You put the secrets to restoring my soul in here," he shoved the computer of the desk and it crashed to the floor, "and it comes out here." He walked a few steps to the printer and ripped out the printout. He started to tear it up._

"_Wait!" The woman shouted frantically. "That's your…"_

"_What? Cure?" he chuckled darkly. "No thanks, been there, done that…and déjà vu just isn't what it used to be."_

_Throwing the computer on the floor had caused it to burst into flames. They crackled softly, setting of a warm glow and throwing the room into shadow. He walked over to the computer and kneeled down, warming his hands in front of the flames. "My…isn't this my lucky day. The computer and the pages…guess I get to kill two birds with one stone." He smirked and turned his face to watch the woman standing near the door._

_He felt his face shift strangely and growled low under his breath. "And teacher makes three," he whispered, his voice sounding strange to his ears as he stood up slowly._

"_No!" she yelled frantically._

_He jumped up, crossing the distance between them in a manner of seconds. He grabbed her around the shoulders, growling in her face and then throwing her against the door. She crashed through it, sprawling on the tiles in the corridor. She looked up at him, her face completely frozen in terror. Then she scrambled to her feet and started to run._

_He chuckled and growled softly. "Oh, good. I need to work up an appetite first," he said, running after her._

_He followed her through the dimly lit corridors of what looked like any typical American high school. Lockers lined the wide corridors, the walls painted a sickly off white. Posters announcing the next football game, or dance are taped to the walls. He ran up a flight of steps, melting into the shadows and waited until she rushed past. As she ran past the window, he reached out and grabbed her. She gasped in terror and he smiled down at her. He held her neck with one hand as he slowly placed his finger over her lips, silencing the scream in her throat._

"_Sorry, Jenny," he said to her quietly, "But this is where you get off."_

_With that he moved his hands, gripping the side of her neck in both his palms and twisting savagely. The sound of her neck snapping echoed sickeningly in the dark corridor. He let__s__ the body drop to the floor. "Ah," he murmured, tilting the head to the side as he rolls his shoulders back and cracks his neck. "I never get tired of doing that."_

He started, and shook his head frantically before looking up to find the anthropologist staring at him strangely. "I'm fine," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "Just fine…" He looked around as he tried to remember where he was.

Bones frowned and walked over to him, she licked her lips and stopped in front of him. "Booth…" she began quietly.

He looked up at her and his eyes darkened as he glanced behind her, trying to avoid her concerned gaze. "Let's just get this done ok!" he snapped, shaking his head and walking a few steps away in an effort to distance himself from the memories.

Bones bit her lip and nodded reluctantly as she sighed. "Ok, let's get these remains back to the morgue as quickly as possible." She turned around and called out to the forensic investigators. She walked over to one young woman. "Can you take some soil samples?" she asked the CSI agent. "I can send them to an expert." The young woman nodded and took out a number of evidence bags and started collecting samples of the dirt around the remains.

Bones watched her closely, trying to keep her face impassive and free from worry as she noticed Booth glance around and rub the back of his neck again as he shook his head frantically.

(v)

In the police morgue, an hour later, Bones was finally making some headway with the victims. Over half of them had already been identified with dental records; the other half would require a bit more work. She had already instructed one of the forensic team to take photos so that they could be sent to Angela, and hopefully get some information in the missing person's database.

Booth was at the other side of the room, his arms crossed over his chest defensively as he talked to Detective Parsons. The Cleveland officer was explaining how this had come about, waving his arms around dramatically and frowning as he handed Booth a manila folder. The FBI agent opened the folder and froze; Brennan could hear his shocked gasp from across the room. She frowned in concern.

"Bones!" he called out desperately.

The anthropologist stopped what she was doing, ripped the plastic gloves off her hands and hurried over. He turned the folder and showed Bones the mug shot of Buffy. This photo showed an older Buffy, her hair was pulled back and her hazel eyes showed pain and suffering beyond her years. The date at the bottom of the picture showed it to be a couple of days previously. The anthropologist's eyes widened and she gasped too, snatching the folder from his hands and studying it intently.

"Booth…this is." she looked up at him in disbelief.

Detective Parson's raised an eyebrow. "Do you know this woman?" he asked, his voice taking on an edge of accusation as he pointed at Buffy's picture.

_What a loaded question_ Booth thought as he glanced at Bones out of the corner of his eye. The anthropologist was still staring at the photo in shock. He cleared his throat and took the folder from Bones before she could blurt out something incriminating. "No," he said as he shifted on his feet. "Why do you have Miss Summer's file?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow as he tried to get the conversation back on track.

The Detective cleared his throat and scratched the side of his nose. "She was on the scene when the police arrived; there was a disturbance, some people called 911 when they heard shouting. A few of my men found her in the warehouse." He paused and looked Booth in the eye. "But I don't think she has anything to do with any of these murders, I'm good at reading people and Miss Summers isn't a killer." He shrugged.

"Some of these bodies have been dead for over 50 years," Bones said.

Detective Parson's nodded and handed Booth a sheet of paper. "I've asked Miss Summers to keep in contact; she is still a person of interest. This is her address if you have any questions…" Booth looked down and frowned nervously. It looked like he was going to get those answers after all, sooner rather then later.

(v)

Almost an hour later Booth and Brennan were in his rented black SUV, driving towards the Council building that had been listed as Buffy's workplace. They had already tried her apartment but nobody had been home.

Booth was smiling, he was so glad to be back in the FBI with his badge, his gun, and his rented car. It was much better then the last one he had. He smirked as the big, black, beast of a car roared down the highway. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to drive a convertible.

Bones sat in the passenger seat as she flicked through the case files, studying them intently and frowning slightly. Booth smiled at her, and then slowed the car slightly as he turned a corner. A few minutes later he saw the old, Victorian building that was the council headquarters and pulled up onto the curb in front of the school.

Both of them got out of the car, and closed the doors behind them. Booth locked it, and stuffed the keys in his pocket. They both turned and looked up at the building. "Hum…" he muttered. "What exactly does this 'Council' do?"

Bones shook her head. "The files just mentioned it being the governing body of the school across the road." She pointed to the more modern building on the other side of the tree-lined street. It was a three story white brick building with a high metal gate around the property. There was a large sign out in front proclaiming it was_ Summer's Academy for Gifted Girls_.

Booth just raised an eyebrow as he walked up the final couple of steps and opened the door. Bones slipped in beside him and they wandered down a couple of stone steps into the lobby and looked around. It was a beautiful old building, the tiles on the floor arranged in an intricate pattern. There were a few black leather couches arranged in the middle of the entrance hall, and a few potted palms placed in the corners around the room. Across from them was a large ornately carved grand staircase; on the right against one wall was a large reception desk.

Booth frowned in annoyance. "Hello?" he called loudly as he looked around the large lobby.

Harmony gasped and sat up, she had been sitting on the floor behind her desk sorting out a stack of papers. She jumped up. The smile that had been plastered on her face quickly disappeared. She frowned in confusion and blinked. "Bossy?" she muttered, tilting her head to the side.

Booth took a quick step back as the blonde just appeared out of nowhere. "Um…no," he said, looking at the young woman in confusion as he took a couple of steps towards her. "Actually it's Booth. Agent Booth." He raised an eyebrow and reached into his pocket to show her his badge. "Is Buffy Summer's here?"

Harmony blinked and took a quick look at the badge, now even more confused then before. "Er…sure?" she muttered with a shrug before she smiled again brightly and walked out from behind her desk, revealing her bright yellow top and polka dot ruffled skirt with matching sky high yellow pumps. "Follow me." She beamed, turning around and crossing the length of the lobby and started ascending the stairs.

Booth raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Bones. They both followed the blonde receptionist up the flight of stairs and down another hall. Harmony knocked on a set of double doors and poked her head into the office. "Buffy? There is an Agent Booth from the FBI here to see you?" she said.

Inside the office Buffy looked up and blinked. She glanced around at the rest of the Scoobies and blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Um…."

Giles looked over at the blonde vampire, still amazed that Buffy had given her a job. "Send him in," he called.

Harmony nodded in agreement and ducked back out of the room. She turned around and smiled at Booth and Brennan. "She's in there with Mr Giles and her associates."

Booth nodded and stepped through the door as Harmony walked away. He found himself in a large office; it was warm and cosy, with a large rug on the floor. In one corner was a large desk, on the other side of the room a number of large comfy black-leather seats were placed in a large circle surrounded by a small coffee table. On the far end of the room was a bookcase covering the entire back wall. It was filled with large textbooks and other odds and ends.

There were about six people in the room, one he immediately recognised as Buffy Summers. They all turned and the looks he received were a mixture of horror and disbelief. The bleach-blonde haired man standing in the back corner looked like he had seen a ghost.

He heard the little redhead gasp.

He paused then, cocking an eyebrow in amusement as he felt Bones come up to stand beside him. He cleared his throat and held up his badge. "I'm Agent Booth from the FBI, this is my partner, Temperance Brennan." He looked at Buffy. "I'm here to ask Miss Summers a few questions."

His announcement was met with stunned silence, he saw Buffy turn her head and look at the older man with wide eyes. He looked flustered, but cleared his throat loudly as he stood up. He walked towards them and held out his hand, Booth took it and gave it a shake. "I'm Mr Giles," the older man introduced himself, revealing an English accent in the process. "I'm the CEO of the Council. Buffy has done nothing wrong."

Booth looked the older man in the eye. "I believe that is for me to find out," he stated.

Standing next to Booth, Bones smiled nervously as she looked around the room. She noticed Giles and offered her own hand; the older Watcher glanced at her briefly and smiled before he shook her hand as well. "Have you worked here…?" Bones started to ask before she gasped loudly, her eyes opening wide as she glanced down at the large hand clasped in her own. "What happened to your hand?" she breathed, her voice taking on a panicked edge.

Everyone in the room froze and Booth tensed. "Bones!" he hissed, embarrassed at her actions.

He noticed that the blonde guy in the corner was watching him intently, his blue eyes never leaving his face and that the guy with the eye patch was incredibly white, and was looking between the redhead and Miss Summers frantically. He glared at them angrily; he supposed it was because they were feeling worried about him, being an FBI agent after all, but it left him feeling uncomfortable that they were staring at him so intently.

But Bones wasn't listening. "It's completely shattered." she whispered in disbelief, shaking her head and failing to notice the look of horror on Buffy's face.

Giles glanced around at Booth and noticed his complete lack of recognition. He pondered that for a second before he turned back to the anthropologist. He cleared his throat. "Um…a bookcase fell on it," he murmured, hoping Bones would quit holding his hand.

Dr Brennan frowned and shook her head slowly; her bright blue eyes were troubled. "No, no these break's are much too small for that, their delicate…almost careful…" suddenly her eyes widened in horror and she looked up at Giles in disbelief as she gasped. Before Booth could ask what was wrong she had dropped Mr. Giles hand as if it was a hot poker and took a hasty step back. "I'm sorry," she murmured, feeling incredibly foolish. "I had no idea, I'm sorry I pried."

Giles blinked in confusion before he cleared his throat. "That's quiet all right," he managed to mutter around the painful lump in his throat. Booth glanced between Brennan and Giles, and raised his eyebrows. Something strange was definitely going on.

Buffy licked her lips, stood up and walked towards them. Booth's eyes never left hers as she smiled slightly and stood in front of him. He found himself noticing the little highlights in her hair, the light dusting of freckles on her nose, and the glittering of green and gold in her hair. He stared, unblinking, his breathing picking up as she continued to stare at him.

"Booth." Bones said, and nudged him in the ribs, startling him out of his revelry.

Buffy let out a shaky breath and ducked her head as she smiled.

Bones frowned at Booth and shook her head as he continued to stare at the little blonde. The others in the room had gotten up and walked over. She smiled at them, her eyes taking in their features, analysing them. The little redhead held out her hand. "I'm Willow," she introduced herself. "I'm a big fan of your books." She smiled. "Are the cases based on real life murders, or do you just make them up. Are any of the characters based on any of your friends?"

Bones blinked. "Thank you," she said, feeling a little uncomfortable at Willow's enthusiasm. As a way to avoid Willow's gaze she looked down at the silver pentagram around Willow's neck and took in the old fashioned green dress she wore. "You're Wiccan?" she announced quietly, smiling slightly. At Willow's startled blink the anthropologist smiled. "I study human culture, Wiccan is an old religion, dedicated to nurturing the earth." She smiled again.

Willow glanced around. "And you can tell what religion I am, just by shaking my hand?" she asked in disbelief. "Wow!"

Booth grinned at Bones proudly. "She does that," he told them all matter-of-factly.

The anthropologist just rolled her eyes and gave him a look "It was your pendant," she told Willow, pointing at the necklace. "Many people believe the pentagram is a symbol of Satan, but the pentagram is actually a protection symbol used by the ancient pagan gods."

Willow nodded. "I know, so many people give me wary looks when they see it." She grinned.

Booth cleared his throat and glanced at Buffy out of the corner of his eye. He still couldn't believe it. She was beautiful, tiny and delicate. "So, can I ask you about what you saw?" he asked, reaching into his pocket and taking out a notebook and pen.

Her nervousness was obvious as she glanced around the room, looking at Giles and the two other men he didn't know. Finally she seemed to make up her mind, nodding to herself and sitting back down, perching on the armrest of a chair. Willow and Giles both sat down as well.

Booth cleared his throat, and started asking her about everything that had happened that night.

Finally when he was done she looked him right in the eye. "Do you think I did this?" she asked him harshly.

Booth shook his head "Nope." He said.

At the Scooby's shocked look, Bones explained. "Some of the bodies have been dead for fifty years." She said.

Booth gave her a look and Bones fell silent again. Booth closed the notebook. "Well, Miss Summers, thank you for your time." He took a step forward and offered his hand. Buffy looked up at him startled and then smiled as she took his hand and shook it. As his large hand wrapped around her own, Buffy's eyes opened wide at the warmth of his palm.

Booth held onto her hand for perhaps a second too long before he stepped back hastily, breaking contact and turning to look at Bones. Brennan smiled and walked towards him and they both turned to leave.

Buffy jumped to her feet. "Wait!" she gasped.

Booth paused with his hand on the doorknob. He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" he asked quietly as he turned towards her.

Buffy licked her lips. "Um…I just. I want to help," she said, shifting on her feet slightly as his dark eyes looked into her soul.

Booth raised an eyebrow, looked her over and then smiled lazily. "Thanks, but we've got this," he told her evenly. He opened the door, and motioned to Bones to go ahead. The anthropologist slipped out of the room, Booth followed, glancing back and smiling at Buffy again as he closed the door behind them,

They both walked down the hall and down to the lobby. Harmony was sitting at the reception. She looked up and smiled, giving a bright happy wave. Booth snorted in amusement, tilting his head in acknowledgement as he and Bones walked out into the sun. He squinted against the afternoon sun and fished in his pocket, pulling out a pair of golden sunglasses and putting them on. They walked across the road and Booth unlocked the car. As they both got in he turned to Brennan and frowned slightly.

"What was with you back there?" he asked quietly, waiting for Bones to close the door and fasten her seatbelt before he started the car.

The anthropologist sighed. "It's Mr Giles," she murmured quietly.

"The guy with the broken hand? Why did that freak you out so much?" he muttered with a shake of his head. Bones never got freaked out by things like that.

Bones glanced at Booth out of the corner of her eye "His hands were broken, but they were…."

"You said they were careful," he said, a feeling of dread creeping up his spine. "Shit, You think he was tortured?" He turned his head and staring at Bones in disbelief.

Bones nodded. "I do. It's a common technique, the French used to do it, and the Japanese during WWII," she said. Booth swore and gripped the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip.

_He was lying on the floor, stretched out, his chin resting in his hands as he watched the man sleep. Slowly the sleeping man stirred. "Hummm," the other man muttered, groaning softly. He smiled lazily and pushed the man's glasses further up his nose as he started to wake up._

"_Hi, Rupert. I wasn't sure you were gonna wake up," he faked concern as he hopped to his feet. "You had me worried."_

_The man, Rupert Giles looked to be middle aged, and almost ten years younger then the man he had just met. His hair was just beginning to grey and was starting to thin on the top. He looked around and got slowly to his feet. "What do you want?" he asked evenly, his accent crisp and British, an edge in his voice that the older version didn't have._

"_I wanna torture you," he told Rupert evenly, no emotion in his voice at all. "I used to love it, and it has been such a long time. I mean…" he sighed dramatically, "The last time I did this they didn't even have chainsaws."_

_He walked past the other man and over to a statue of…something…with a sword in its chest. He stroked the statue lovingly, running his hands over the sword. He turned his head and noticed the other mans stare._

_He smirked. "Oh, yeah. Acathla. He's an even harder guy to wake up then you are," he muttered almost affectionately, grinning dangerously. "I mean, I performed the rituals, said all the right things…blood on my hand. Got nothing. I figure you know the ritual, you're normally pretty up with these things." He took his hand of the sword and turned around, taking a few steps towards Giles and smiling softly._

"_You could probably…tell me what I'm doing wrong. But honestly…I hope you don't." He smirked and leaned closer. "Because I really wanna torture you," he whispered wistfully._

"Booth," Bones exclaimed frantically, shaking his shoulder.

He shook his head coming out of the memory and looked around frantically. He was sitting in the driver's seat, parked, the engine rumbling under his toes. He sighed softly. "What the hell is wrong with me, Bones?" he whispered quietly as he put the SUV in gear and slowly pulled out of the parking space.


	5. Chapter 5

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 5

After Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan had left the study an uneasy silence filled the room. Finally Buffy cleared her throat. "Ah, that just happened…right?" she asked in disbelief.

There were nods all around. "It's him all right," Spike drawled, leaning back against the wall and lighting up a cigarette. "I'd know that ugly bastard anywhere."

Buffy gave him a look. "But Angel's dead, you said so yourself, unless…" her eyes narrowed in anger.

Spike raised his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. "Whoa! Where did that come from luv?" he shook his head. "I know what I saw, that dragon killed him before he could jump out of the way," his voice rose in anger. "Don't you dare think that I'd tell lies about that Buffy!"

The Slayer sighed, embarrassed for even thinking that. "I know, I'm sorry Spike…it's just," she sighed again and shrugged.

Spike nodded in understanding. "I know," he muttered turning his head and looking down, out of the window and watching as the black SUV drove away.

"He's human," Buffy whispered in awe, looking down at her hands and feeling tears in her eyes. "He's human and he doesn't remember who he used to be," she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Maybe…maybe it's for the best…" Willow shrugged as Buffy and Spike turned towards her. "I mean, you know Angel's past isn't exactly fluffy bunnies and roses, maybe this is what the Powers wanted…"

Giles cleared his throat. "He's still helping people…" he added.

Buffy couldn't believe her ears she shook her head frantically "No, I don't believe that." she exclaimed angrily. "Yeah sure it's painful, but he should be here, with me, not having these false memories, and hanging around that, that Bones lady. He should be here with me." She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Buffy…" Willow said softly.

Buffy shook her head. "Just don't, Willow." she said with a tired sigh. "I'm going home, I need to tell Faith, and I need to call Connor and Dawn. How the hell am I gonna tell him Angel's still alive," she murmured to herself.

"He's not Angel Buffy, he's Booth" Xander pointed out, his voice surprisingly sympathetic.

Buffy flushed pink. "Yeah, I know," she said quietly.

(v)

Booth sighed softly and pulled the SUV into the parking space outside the hotel. Bones watched him silently. "Are you sure you're ok?" she asked quietly.

Booth turned the car off; he turned his head and looked at her. "No," he murmured "I'm really not."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked quietly.

He sighed again. "I just…I hate feeling like this Bones. Having no control over these memories…it's horrible."

Her eyebrows drew down as she frowned. "But…"

He interrupted her. "Those people in that room, I've seen them all before, Bones. In those dreams, in the sketchbook you saw." He took a deep breath, letting that information sink in. "I know this is going to sound crazy but…. In these memories I feel…different," he paused. "I don't even feel…human" he said and looked down at his hands.

"Booth…" Bones started to say before his phone started ringing. Booth had never been so grateful in his life as he pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open before putting it to his ear.

"Where the hell are you?" The response from the other end was swift.

Booth blinked and leaned forward in his seat. "Rebecca?" he asked in disbelief. He didn't know what to think, his ex _never_ called him, unless there was something wrong with Parker. "What is it? What's wrong, is Parker ok?" he asked quickly.

"He's fine." she said, Booth could just picture her as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm wondering where you are, I'm standing outside your apartment and there is no one here," she said, sounding pissed.

"I'm in Cleveland, on a case." he told her in annoyance. "What's the problem, I don't get Parker until next weekend?"

"Yeah well, I've got three week's leave and Mike is taking me down to the Key's, I wanted you to take Parker." she told him.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "And you didn't think to tell me this before?" he almost growled.

"What the hell do you want, Seeley?" she shouted at him. "You complain you don't see Parker as much as you want, and then when you can, your off in Cleveland!"

He sighed in frustration. "Rebecca! I'm on a case, ok. Now, what are you doing with Parker…is he going with you?" he asked.

"No" she said.

"Rebecca I can't look after him, I'm in Cleveland!"

"I'm not taking him with me. Mike doesn't want him there. How about I bring him up, and he can spend the time with you?"

He paused. "This case is pretty bad Bec," he said softly. "But, fine ok, yeah…get yourself on the earliest plane, call me and I'll meet you at the airport."

He heard her sigh quietly. "Thanks Seeley," she said, before she hung up the phone.

Booth sighed and snapped the phone shut. "Dammit!" he groaned as he put his head in his hands and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

Bones frowned. "It'll be fine Booth, you will love having Parker here."

He raised his head of his arms and looked at her. "Yeah, I just don't want him anywhere near this case Bones, I don't have anyone to watch him, he'll have to come with me to the police station…" he sighed again.

She smiled at him sympathetically. "I'll help," she murmured.

He smiled. "Thanks Bones," he said as he opened the door. They both got out of the car and walked into the hotel.

(v)

A few hours later Buffy walked into her apartment and slumped down onto the couch, she sighed and leaned back, resting her head on the couch. There were a few blessed minutes of silence before Robbie and Faith entered in a burst of sound and a blur of energy. Robbie careered around the apartment, waving his arms around his head as he bounced from room to room. Buffy closed her eyes and groaned, unable to watch for fear of being sick.

Faith noticed the look on her face and came to sit beside her. "Ok B. spill," she said as she tucked her legs under her and fixed Buffy with a steely gaze.

Buffy sighed. "It's Angel," she whispered, "…. he's alive."

Faith blinked and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, thought you just said that Angel is alive."

Buffy turned and looked at Faith. "I did, his name is Booth now, well that's his last name anyway."

Faith blinked again. "Oh," she whispered faintly, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Huh?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah."

She told Faith everything that had happened earlier in the day, about Booth and Dr Brennan and how he didn't remember anything about being Angel. "I even offered to help with the case, but he turned me down." Buffy explained.

Faith listened intently, shaking her head in disbelief. "B, this is massive!" she whispered in awe.

The blonde Slayer nodded. "Yeah, now I just have to tell Connor." she muttered.

Faith's eyes widened. "Shit, what are you going to tell him?" she asked. Connor had taken the death of his father hard, blaming himself, not realizing Angel would have done anything to see him safe. That was why Angel had asked Spike to make sure Connor got out of LA. Spike, honouring Angel's last request had done just that, pulling Connor forcefully out of the alley once Angel had perished.

Buffy shook her head. She got up from the couch and picked it up the phone, dialling Dawn's mobile by memory. She put the phone to her ear as it started to ring. After a few rings she heard a click as the phone was answered. "Hello?" Dawn's voice came through the receiver.

"Dawn." Buffy smiled. "How ya going?"

"Buffy?" Dawn gasped "Oh. My God! How are you?" she screamed into the receiver and Buffy quickly jerked the phone away from her ear, a grimace of pain on her face as Dawn's excited shriek almost shattered her ear drums.

"Dawn!" she yelled.

Dawn stopped screaming. "Sorry, sorry."

Buffy sighed and brought the phone back to her ear. "It's ok, don't worry about it." she said "Is Connor there?"

"Yeah, sure…I'll get him."

Buffy waited patiently as Dawn called for Connor, she heard a muffled conversation and then the sound of the receiver being transferred from one hand to the other. "Hey, Buffy." Connor answered with a smile in his voice.

"Connor…I have something important to tell you, are you sitting down…" she blurted out in a rush, feeling nervous.

"Buffy slow down, what's wrong? Is everyone ok?"

"Everyone's fine…it's just…"

"What? Buffy what's going on?" he asked.

"It's about Angel" she told him. There was silence on the other end, she couldn't even hear Connor breathing into the receiver. "Connor?" she murmured quietly.

He cleared his throat. "What about Dad?" he asked, his voice soft.

(v)

Cleveland Domestic Airport

June 17th 2009

Booth waited patiently for Parker and Rebecca, folding his arms over his chest and tapping his foot on the floor. He was on edge, he'd had another dream last night, one that had left him feeling even more confused. At least this particular memory was something nice, without blood and death. He still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He sighed quietly it had been full of bright lights and sounds and way too many ruffles.

_He stepped into the gym, looking around at the decorations, the balloons and the bright flashes as photos were taken. There are a number of round tables towards one side of the room; the other is full of people dancing. A band plays on the stage on the other side of the room. Everyone is dressed up, the men wearing suits, the woman fancy dresses. He paused for a second before entering the room, walking slowly towards the girl in the pale pink dress. The band striked up a new song and he tilted his head, listening to it, letting the soft notes fill his soul as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves._

_Childhood living is easy to do_

_The things you wanted I bought them for you_

_Graceless lady you know who I am_

_You know I can't let you slide through my hands_

_Wild horses couldn't drag me away_

_Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away_

_Everyone is having a good time as he walked slowly across the room. A young woman in a dark blue, sequined dress rolled her eyes as he walked past, Willow gave him a relieved smile, the man in her arms nodding his head. Blue and yellow lights flash across the floor, balloons bob happily on the tables._

_I watched you suffer a dull aching pain_

_Now you decided to show me the same_

_No sweeping exits of offstage lines_

_Could make me feel better or treat you unkind_

_Wild horses couldn't drag me away_

_Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away_

_Booth stepped in front of the girl and look down into her beautiful hazel eyes. She blinks and smiled at him. "I didn't think you would come?" she whispered, her voice small, the relief and gratitude in her voice easy to hear. _

_He ducked his head, suddenly feeling guilty. "It's a big night," he murmured, "I didn't want to miss it…but it's just for tonight…it doesn't mean…" He shrugged helplessly, hating to have to say this, but having no choice._

_Her voice is soft, "I know. I mean, I understand." _

"_Dance with me?" He asked, holding out his hand._

_She smiled at him. "I thought you would never ask." She placed her hand in Booth's and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. They moved around slowly, just twirling gently in a circle as the music flows around them._

_She sighed and relaxed in his arms, trusting him completely as she leaned her head against him shoulder. Booth looked down at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he leaned his chin on the top of her hair._

_I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie_

_I have my freedom but I don't have much time_

_Faith has been broken, tears must be cried_

_Let's do some living after we die_

_Wild horses can't drag me away_

_Wild, wild horses, can't drag me away_

He sighed and shook his head. The girl in his arms had been Buffy, looking much younger. He didn't know what to think about that and decided to put it to the back of his mind and figure out later. It would be safer that way.

The arrivals board flickered and switched and he noticed that the plane from DC had just landed. He waited a few more minutes, getting a bit impatient now, before he saw a crowd of people exiting out of the arrivals hall. He spotted Bec first and raised his hand, waving to get her attention.

She spotted him, a small smile appearing on her face and walked over to him. Parker spotted him then.

"Dad!" the four year old yelled, letting go of his mom's hand and running towards him. Booth smiled and crouched down on his haunches and opened his arms. The little boy laughed and wrapped his arms around Booth's neck.

"Hey buddy, how ya going?" he smiled and kissed the little boy's cheek. Rebecca just smiled as she walked towards them; she stopped a few feet from him and set the bright red suitcase on the ground. Booth looked up at her and smiled as he stood up "How was the flight?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "It was ok." She looked at Parker and smiled. "Are you ok here with your Dad while Mommy is on holiday?" she asked.

The little boy nodded and Bec hugged him close. "Ok, well I've packed him enough clothes for a week, he has his hand held playstation, and a couple of colouring books and a pack of pencil…"

"Relax Bec, its fine." He assured her. "I just wish you could have told me this earlier…"

"Well it's not as if you ever go anywhere." she huffed.

He gave her a look and Bec just shrugged. An announcement came on the PA and Rebecca turned her head up and listened. "Ok, well I'm on the next flight back to DC in an hour…" she hugged Parker again. "I'd better go and check in."

Booth nodded and kissed her on the cheek. "Ok, have a good holiday, say 'hi' to Mike. He better be good to you." Bec laughed and just shook her head.

"Good luck with the case Seeley." She looked down at Parker and ruffled the boy's hair. "If he comes home with nightmares I'm going to hurt you."

He glared. "Nothing's going to happen, Bec." He told her.

She ignored him, hugged Parker again, turned around and walked towards the check-in area at the other end of the airport.

Booth watched her go, then looked down, took Parkers hand in one of his and bent down to pick up the little boy's suitcase. "Come on buddy, let's go get something to eat."

"French Fries?" the boy asked excitedly.

Booth laughed. "Whatever you want little man," he said.

(v)

A little while later Booth and Parker walked into the police station. The receptionist smiled as she saw them. "Dr Brennan is already down in the morgue," she told Booth.

The tall agent nodded and placed his hand on Parkers shoulder. "Hey, would you mind looking after the little tyke, keep him away from everything downstairs?" he asked, looking into the younger woman's eyes.

She smiled. "Sure." She leaned forward in her seat and looked down at Parker "Hey, I'm Lucy, what's your name?"

"Parker," he answered, moving closer to Booth and putting his head on Booth's leg and wrapped his arm around his dad's thigh as he turned his head away in shyness.

Lucy smiled and held out her hand and Booth gently pushed the boy forward "What do you like to do Parker?" she asked conversationally.

The boy was silent for a few seconds then he turned his head, looking up at Lucy and smiled hesitantly. "I like colouring."

"He's got his book in his bag." Booth grinned and raised the _Superman_ backpack in his other hand.

Lucy grinned. "Well, let's have fun hey!" She reached out and ruffled his hair. "Your dad has to work."

Parker paused and looked up at Booth. "Ok," he answered quietly before heading over to her. Lucy smiled and took the boy's hand, leading him around the large desk before she lifted him up into the chair beside her. Booth handed her the backpack. "Now…what do you want to colour?" she asked.

Booth smiled slightly, watching his son get along with Lucy for a few seconds before he turned and headed down the hall.

(v)

For Booth and Brennan the rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Brennan was fascinated by the remains, she had never seen so many bodies in the same place, even the mass graves she had worked on in Peru had not held so much mystery.

Hodgins had been identifying a number of organic elements in the soil, including blood and acid, alcohol and other bodily fluids. There was a lot of jewellery both on the bodies and scattered around the place, there were knives, a nail file, a few shell casings and a rusted out semi automatic.

Exsanguination was the cause of death for many of the victims. They had been bled dry, deep jagged cuts across the carotid arteries in the neck, or the femoral artery in the upper thighs. A few of the bodies even had evidence of bite marks instead of the usual knife wounds, something that made Brennan curious and left Booth feeling sick.

The few bodies that hadn't died from blood loss either had snapped necks, or had evidence of being burnt or cut. Torture methods, according to Bones.

At the end of the day, almost all the victims had been identified. Now they had the job of informing their family's tomorrow. Booth wasn't looking forward to it; it was the only thing about this job that he hated.

Later that day Booth picked up Parker from the office, packing up his colouring pencils and thanking Lucy for looking after him. They drove back to the hotel, Bones going to her room, while Parker and Booth went to theirs. Booth gave Parker a snack, before he went into the bathroom, changed out of his suit and into a shirt and jeans and sat on his single bed to type out his report. Parker watched from the other bed, bouncing up and down and giggling. Booth smiled at his son and turned back to his report. Once that was done he flipped on the T.V and started watching a game. Parker got of his bed and jumped up beside him wrapping his arms around his waist. Booth put his arms around his son and pulled him close.

After the game had finished he sighed and glanced up at the clock, it was just a little after five at night. He turned to Parker "You wanna go get something to eat?" he asked the boy.

Parker's eyes widened "Yay!" he yelled sitting up and jumping on the bed "Dinner!" Booth laughed quietly and smiled as he sat up. He flipped the T.V off, pulled the clips out of his gun and locked it in his suitcase before he turned and grabbed his jacket, wallet and keys. He grabbed a beanie and a jacket for Parker, helped him brush his hair, then they slipped out of the hotel room. He took Parker's hand in his and walked the couple of meters to the next door and knocked.

A few seconds later Bones opened the door, she smiled as she saw them and stepped back. Booth smiled and walked into the room. "Hotel food sucks," he said as he let go of Parkers hand and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "So I was thinking maybe we could take a walk, find somewhere to eat…maybe get some pizza and a beer?" he raised and eyebrow and smiled.

"And ice-cream!" piped up Parker again.

Bones laughed and thought about it for a second before she nodded. "Yes, I would enjoy that a lot…just let me get my bag." She turned around, hitting a few keys on her laptop, locking the computer and shutting it down before she turned, grabbed her bag and jacket and followed him out of the room.

The street was well lit as they slowly walked along the pavement, most of the shops were still open and there were quiet a few people out. Booth kept looking around, alert for anything, holding Parkers hand and keeping the boy close as Brennan peered into shops and watched the people walking past. She noticed a few young women staring at the engagement rings in a jeweller shop window, whispering to each other and giggling as they picked out the rings they wanted their boyfriends to buy for them. They stopped on a corner and then crossed the road; Bones glanced into the window of a clothing store and stopped.

Booth continued to walk and it was only after taking a few steps before he realised she wasn't walking beside him anymore; he stopped and turned, his eyebrows coming down as he frowned. "Come on Bones! I'm hungry," he complained as he gestured for her to keep walking.

Bones ignored him as she looked into the window at the shop inside. Parker looked between his dad and Brennan.

"Buffy's inside." She said.

"Bones…." He hissed.

She turned her head and smiled at him "I'm just going to talk to her," she told him before she headed into the shop.

Booth sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "Great, just great," he muttered to himself.

Parker looked up at him. "Dad is Tempe going to be in there a long time? Cause I'm hungry."

"No idea buddy," he muttered.

(v)

Bones slipped into the store. She was not normally so spontaneous, but she was curious. Miss Summers was being secretive, there was something she wasn't telling them and Bones wanted to know what it was.

Brennan weaved though the clothes racks, acting casual. She saw Buffy examining the shirts and moved forward, a dark-haired girl was blocking the way. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly when they bumped shoulders.

Faith turned, Robbie on her hip and forced a smile as she saw Bones. "Hey, no worries. There is never enough room in these things anyway." Bones smiled back and shifted nervously, something about the young woman's eyes made her wary.

There was a moment of awkward silence before a shout came from the other side of the room, causing Bones to look up. Buffy was looking at them. "Hey Faith!" Buffy called to the woman at her side, "What do you think of this?" Bones couldn't believe her luck as Buffy moved towards them.

The blonde Slayer paused when she noticed Dr Brennan. "Oh…" she blinked. "Dr Brennan, nice to see you again."

Bones smiled. "Miss Summers how are you?"

Faith's eyes widened. "This is Dr Brennan?" Her eyes widened and she glanced at Buffy. The shorter Slayer nodded silently, giving Bones another reassuring smile.

"How do you know about me?" Bones asked Faith curiously.

Buffy shifted on her feet and blushed slightly. "I told her about you and An…Agent Booth," she said.

Faith noticed Buffy's discomfort and shifted Robbie on her hip. "So where is he?" She asked, glancing around. "I'd like to meet that large hunk of man flesh." She smirked as Buffy turned and glared at her.

The anthropologist smiled. "He is waiting outside; he didn't want to come in." She paused, an idea forming in her head. "We're actually going to get something to eat, you could come with us if you want too?"

Buffy and Faith look at each other. "We would love to" Faith said with a grin before Buffy could chicken out.

Bones looked around the store. "Are you finished here?" she asked.

Buffy nodded reluctantly. "That cute little dress didn't look quiet so cute on," she muttered. Bones nodded and led the two women outside.

Buffy smiled, but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to see Booth again. He reminded her of everything she had lost, and at the time that Angel had needed her most, she had failed him. She didn't know if she could deal with that type of pain again, she didn't know if she could hold herself together. She didn't know if she could just talk to him and not give into the temptation to take him into her arms.

They stepped out of the shop and saw Booth leaning against the wall a few feet away, his arms were crossed over his chest. Parker stood beside him in the same position.

Buffy and Faith shared a wide eyed glance. "Who the hell is that?" Faith asked under her breath.

Shaking her head Buffy turned back around and let her gaze look past the little boy and really focus on the FBI Agent.

She knew he was Angel, he was older, small laugh lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes and mouth and he needed a shave, but the stubble on his chin adding to his sexiness. He was still lean, but the added age had added mass to his arms and shoulders. She liked it! Buffy let her eyes wander down his chest, taking in the way his shirt clung to his chest. She pursed her lips and looked lower, liking how his jeans looked as they hugged his muscular thighs and stretched over the manly bulge in the front of his pants.

Beside her Faith coughed pointedly. Buffy flushed slightly and glanced at the other Slayer out of the corner of her eye. Faith grinned wickedly as she leaned over and put her lips to Buffy's ear. "I bet he'd still look great in leather pants." she whispered low enough that only she would hear. Buffy gasped and pushed Faith away as she blushed an even deeper shade of red.

Booth turned his head and smiled, lowering his arms and putting his hands on Parkers shoulders. His eyes looked past Dr. Brennan and he noticed Buffy walking behind. He froze; his eyes widening and he got the deer in the headlight look that Angel always used to get.

Then he turned his eyes back to Bones and the look he gave his partner was almost accusing. Bones ignored the look. "Booth," she said, stepping up to him and stopping just in front of him. "Look who I bumped into. Miss Summers and her friend, Faith."

Faith stuck out her hand and shook his hand. "Faith Lehane," she smiled as she introduced herself, "and this little guy is Robbie." She indicated the five year old in her arms.

"I'm Booth." His handshake was firm and warm as he smiled quickly.

Faith grinned and looked down at Parker who was gazing up at them with wide, blue eyes.

"Who is this little guy?" she asked as she set Robbie down on the floor.

"I'm Parker!" The little boy gushed happily.

"My son," Booth added.

Buffy and Faith looked up at him, their eyes widening in shock. Buffy bit her lip feeling her heart sink. He had another son, with another woman who wasn't her. She turned her head away so he wouldn't see the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Faith glanced at her quickly in concern before she forced a smile and bent down so that she was looking Parker in the eye. "And how old are you?" She asked with a smile in her voice.

The little boy held out four fingers. "I'm four!" he grinned. Booth smiled and squeezed the boy's shoulder affectionately.

"His mom dropped him off this morning," he explained to Buffy and Faith, "she's on a holiday at the moment, so he's here with me, aren't you buddy." He looked down and smiled at his son.

"Your wife?" Buffy asked quietly, trying to appear casual, while inside her heart constricted in her chest.

"No," he said in a curiously neutral voice as he looked at her closely.

Faith looked between them quickly, feeling the tension in the air start to rise as Booth continued to look at Buffy. "So," she said, changing the subject. "Bones said it was alright if we joined you at dinner?"

Booth glanced at Bones quickly, before he nodded once.

"What does everyone want?" Dr. Brennan interjected.

Parker and Robbie answered at the same time "Pizza!" both boys shouted excitedly "Pizza, pizza pizza!"

The adults all laughed as Faith caught Booth's eye and rolled her eyes. "Looks like the kids win again," she said with a wiry smile,

"Don't they always?" he muttered.

He took Parker's hand, and Faith took Robbie's and together they all headed down the street. Buffy fell into step beside Booth as Faith walked up in front next to Bones. They chatted as they headed down the street until they saw a little Italian café`. They walked inside and took a seat.

Booth grabbed a menu and opened it in front of Parker "Ok, pick what you want!" he said.

The little boy raised his finger and stabbed it down in the middle of the page. "That one!" Booth smirked and read the menu, "Pepperoni, good choice buddy. We'll go halves' hey!" Parker beamed proudly as Booth smiled around at the others "How about you guys pick a few pizzas and we can share?" Buffy and Faith both nodded in agreement and Robbie clapped his hands.

They ordered their pizza's, Booth went to the bar and ordered some drinks, glasses of wine for the girls, a beer for himself and soda for the boys.

When the pizza came the boys tuckered in, dropping toppings on the table and smearing tomato sauce around their mouths. Booth and Faith shared a resigned smile.

They talked, Faith and Buffy both finding themselves marvelling at the changes they could see in the former vampire. Gone was Angel's silence, his broodiness, instead Booth was outgoing. There was no trace of the soulful vampire in the human's personality.

As Booth again made a joke and joined in with the boys laugher, Faith realised she had never heard Angel laugh before. It was a nice sound.

Buffy was studying Booth closely, after a few minutes he turned his head and looked her in the eye. She stared back at him, holding his gaze and drinking him in. She never imagined she would see him again. Now, seeing him here, sitting in front of her…human. It was more then she could ever hope for. She smiled softly "So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" she asked casually.

Booth glanced at Bones, his eyes darkening with sadness. "Yeah, we have family duty tomorrow, informing them of their loved ones loss." He sighed and looked away. "I hate that part."

Buffy and Faith nodded, both knowing what it was like, having to do the same thing for a few Slayers under their care as well. She sighed again "What about Parker?" she glanced at the little boy

Booth shook his head, "I don't know, today I left him with the receptionist at the police station, but I can't do that tomorrow. I guess he will just have to come along and I can leave him in the car when we go inside. It's not hot and I can leave the window down…" he frowned, not liking that solution one bit.

Buffy and Faith glanced at one another. "How about I watch him?" Buffy smiled as Booth's eyes widened. "What? It's the very least I could do…"

Booth thought it over for a second. If Buffy watched Parker then he could focus on the family's that needed him, and not his son waiting in his car on the side of the road. All in all, he couldn't see a downside. He smiled and nodded. "That would be great," he told her gratefully.


	6. Chapter 6

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 6

_The alley was dark and depressing. The putrid stench of garbage, and other things I didn't even want to recognise, filled my nostrils. A rat scuttled past and I watched it hungrily as it burrowed under a pile of trash. I couldn't look away, and before I even realised it, I had taken a step forward, a growl rumbling low in my throat. _

_I lunged forward, diving under the trash, the rat gave a startled squeak as my hands clasped it around the middle and squeezed. There was a soft snap and the rat fell limp in my hands as I brought it hungrily to my mouth. I growled and sunk my teeth into the mass of fur and licked my lips as the still warm blood pumped into my mouth and trickled down my chin…_

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Booth shouted as he bolted upright in bed and took a deep breath. In the other bed Parker woke as well, clutching the blankets to his chest in fright and looking at his father with wide eyes.

Booth took a deep gasping breath and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced around the room, finally looking over and noticing Parker's curious stare. "Oh buddy…" he murmured. He got out of bed and sat down next to the boy, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Parker hugged Booth tight, "Are you ok, daddy?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah buddy, daddy's just been having a lot of bad dreams lately…" he sighed again.

The little boy paused for a second, biting his bottom lip as he thought about that. "I didn't know grown-ups got bad dreams," he said.

Booth grimaced slightly, trying to hold the grin of amusement that wanted to spread across his face. "It's all very hush-hush," he murmured before he couldn't hold back anymore and let the grin spread across his face. Parker paused, and then he smiled at that, glad that his dad was letting him in on a long-kept adult secret.

A few minutes later, once Parker was calm enough, Booth put him back to bed and tucked the blankets snugly around his small body. The little boy smiled sleepily and turned his head away, curling onto his side and snuggling into the blankets. His eyelids fluttered and he fell asleep quickly.

For Booth it was a whole other story; sleep just would not come, he stared up at the ceiling with his arms tucked behind his head as he thought about all the dreams, the memories that had been going through his head lately. None of them made any sense, they were violent and strange… just as he had told Brennan the other day, he didn't even feel human in them.

He remembered the dream he had just had; he could still remember the scent of the rat's blood as it scuttled past, the raw, unstainable hunger that the little rodent had sparked inside him. It was disturbing, unnerving, and it scared him. There was very little in this world, certainly no person he had ever met, that had scared him as much as these memories did.

In these dreams he was inhuman, cold, fast, and stronger then he was now. He wondered how he had gotten to that point.

Then there was the fact that Buffy Summers had been in some of them. He could still remember dancing with her at that ball, a school prom most probably. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could still feel her arms around his neck, the feel of her small body in his arms and the intoxicating scent of her shampoo as he pressed his nose to her hair.

His new sketchbook, something that only a month ago he would never have even contemplated buying, was quickly filling up with drawings and portraits. He sighed softly, opened his eyes and turned his head. He reached towards the bedside lamp, turned it on and glanced across the room to make sure Parker hadn't been disturbed. The little boy murmured quiet and shifted slightly but stayed sound asleep.

Booth sighed in relief and picked up the sketchbook from the bedside table. He opened it and started looking through the pictures. Buffy Summers smiled out at him, as did Willow and Mr Giles. He hadn't realised it before but the man with the eye patch was in here as well, looking a few years younger, sporting two eyes, and looking much happier. He flicked through a few more pages, glancing at the faces staring out at him, feeling himself drawn towards them, though he had no idea why. Towards the end of the book he paused, a young man looked out at him. The boy looked around seventeen; his hair was fairly long, just brushing the tops of his shoulders as he scowled out of the page. Despite the lack of color Booth knew for a fact his hair would be a sandy brown, his eyes a bright vivid blue.

_His mother's eyes, _the unexpected thought sounded loud and clear inside his head.

_It was poring with rain, the large droplets quickly soaking his jacket and pants. The young woman beside him shivered with cold and he quickly pulled off his leather jacket and threw it around her thin shoulders. She looked at him and smiled briefly in thanks, then looked down at the blonde woman lying on the ground. He crouched down beside her, letting his eyes run over her swollen stomach, taking in the way she clutched at her belly as she gasped in pain. Her blond hair was plastered to her skull, her blue eyes looking up at him in pain and fear. She gripped his palm in a white-knuckled, bone-crushing grip. The other girl knelt down beside them, placing her hand on the blond woman's shoulder and looking at him in fear. _

"_Is she going to be ok?" she asked, her soft voice carrying hints of a Texan twang._

_He wasn't sure, and didn't answer the brunette's question. Instead he looked down at the pregnant woman again. "It's going to be ok. I'm not going to let anything happen to you Darla," he said, stroking her hands and trying to reassure her._

_Darla grimaced and shook her blond hair out of her face "It hurts, oh, Angel. It hurts so much," she murmured, clutching at her stomach again._

"_It's ok Darla, its ok," he soothed her, running his hands over her forehead and belly. Beside him the brunette shivered under his jacket. She was skin and bones; he could hear her teeth chattering with cold as the rain continued to pelt down around them._

_Darla screamed then, arching her back and convulsing with pain. He grabbed her and held her tight. "This isn't working," the blonde screamed defiantly. "I…I can't give him life." She ran her hand over her stomach. "I can't give him anything…" She started to sob._

_He didn't know what to do. He could only watch as she cried, her swollen stomach heaving as she gasped for breath. In the distance he heard a car squeal to a stop and then a shout. The young woman beside him looked up. "Over here!" she called, waving her arm in the air._

_Darla opened her eyes. "This child, Angel…he's the only good thing we ever did together," she whispered. "You make sure you tell him that."_

_He blinked and before he could move to stop her, her hand clasped around a broken piece of wood by her side and raised it above her chest. She plunged it down, straight into her heart._

_His eyes opened wide as she turned to dust, crumpling into the puddle forming on the ground. In the spot where she had been a baby boy was suddenly revealed. He started screaming, thrashing his arms around as he cried. Beside him the skinny girl gasped, her eyes opening wide. She fumbled with the jacket around her shoulders, giving it to him silently._

_He snatched the jacket, and quickly wrapped it around the newborn baby, shielding him from the rain. He picked him up and cradled him against his chest. He looked down at the little boy in awe. This little human was his child, his son!_

_There was a clatter of footsteps, and a black man, a curvy woman and a tall be-speckled man came into view. They all looked down at him with a mixture of disbelief and awe. The other woman knelt down beside him and placed her hand over the little boy's heart. She looked up at him in wonder and smiled._

_He felt himself smiling back, happiness threatening to burst inside him. He was so happy._

"_What are you going to name him?" she murmured quietly, seemingly oblivious to the rain poring around them._

_He bit his lip. "Connor," he said,, "I'm going to call him Connor."_

Booth gasped and opened his eyes. He looked around and noticed Parker still sleeping soundly. _What the hell is going on?_ He thought in disbelief. He didn't have another son, did he? He would know, wouldn't he?

It's not as if these things just happened without, well _things_ happening!

With a heavy heart, and more questions then he would have liked Booth put the sketchbook back on the table and turned off the light. The faint light of pre-dawn filtered through the blinds as Booth settled back down on the bed and tried to go to sleep.

(v)

Buffy's apartment

Cleveland, Ohio, June 18th 2009

"Where did I put that blue top?" Buffy screamed as she rushed around the apartment. Faith watched the blond Slayer as she ran from room to room frantically looking for said top; she was smiling in amusement and shaking her head.

The last couple of hours had been hectic. Buffy had cleaned the apartment from top to bottom (not that it was dirty to start with), but she wanted to make a good impression. She wanted Booth to see that she and Faith were mature and responsible and… "Faith! Are you sure you didn't wear it?" she called from the bedroom.

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes as she took a sip from her morning coffee. "Did you check the dryer?"

There was a pause, and then Buffy ran out of her bedroom, dressed in a bra and summer skirt, and ran down the hall to the small laundry at the back of the apartment. Faith hid a small smile as a few seconds later Buffy started cursing. "Found it!" she called.

She walked back into the kitchen, buttoning up the blue blouse over her bra and smoothing the cotton self-consciously. Buffy noticed Faith's small smile and shook her head. "I know I'm stressing but I just want it all to go well, you know." She rolled her eyes. "I probably shouldn't have offered, this is just going to be even more trouble, but I just couldn't resist those eyes…"

Faith smiled again. "Booth's or Parkers?"

Buffy sighed softly and slipped into a seat opposite the dark Slayer, she poured herself a glass of juice. "Both," she admitted with a roll of her eyes. "Parker is just adorable, and Booth…" She stopped and blushed.

"Is still Angel?" whispered Faith.

"Yeah."

"You're sure he's Angel? I mean he looks like him…only a bit older, but…" Buffy looked Faith in the eye and just quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know I know…it's just so hard to believe…he's human, Buffy."

"I know, Faith; it's the only thing I have been thinking of lately."

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Faith asked.

"Like what?" she said.

Faith smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. "Come on Buffy! Surely you've thought about doing the nasty thing! He is just as hot with a pulse as he was without."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "No, well…ok…maybe a little bit," she murmured. Faith smirked and Buffy found herself smiling in response. "Ok….maybe a lot." She laughed and Faith joined in.

"So what's the plan?" Faith inquired as she took another sip of her coffee.

Buffy just shrugged. "No plan. I just want him to…like me," she whispered.

"Oh come on Buffy!"

"What? He might look like Angel, but I know he's not. Not anymore. He is Booth and I don't know anything about him! He has a son and an ex and for all I know he has a girl back in DC. I don't know anything about him Faith!" She yelled.

Faith just looked at her calmly. "So get to know him, take a chance, Buffy."

Buffy sighed. "Easier said then done. Even if he was still Angel it doesn't change anything. He left remember, he left me!" Buffy shook her head frantically refusing to cry.

Faith looked at her sympathetically. "Buffy…"

Before Faith could say anything more the doorbell rang. Faith fell silent and both Slayers looked at each other. Buffy made a pained sound in the back of her throat and raised her hand to smooth down her hair. Faith smirked at her.

Buffy ignored the other Slayer and started to get up. "Coming!" she called. As she walked out into the hall Robbie dashed past.

"I'll get it!" he yelled happily, running to the door and pulling it open a smile on his face.

Booth blinked and looked down at Robbie. "Hey," he said.

Buffy appeared behind Robbie, opening the door a bit wider and taking a deep breath as she tried to appear calm. Booth smiled at her, his deep brown eyes twinkling as they looked deep into her soul. "Miss Summers," he said in greeting.

Buffy smiled. "Buffy," she told him.

Booth nodded slightly. "Buffy," he repeated, his voice almost a purr.

Buffy sighed, _damn that man,_ she thought,. On the other side of the door Booth quirked an eyebrow and found himself smiling at her reaction.

Robbie bounced in front of him. "Do you want to go play with my trucks?" he asked Parker in a rush.

The four year-old nodded, letting go of his dad's hand before he ran after Robbie. Buffy stepped back and smiled at the agent. Booth took the unspoken invitation and stepped into the apartment, not realizing the significant of the simple movement as Buffy turned her head away again. She swallowed painfully and closed the door behind him. "Do you want a coffee or anything?" she asked him quietly as she turned and walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

Booth glanced around as he stepped inside the apartment, taking in the clean floor, the shiny table and was quietly impressed. He shook his head as he turned and looked at Buffy. "I can't," he muttered, and she could here the regret in his voice. "I've gotta get to work." Buffy nodded slowly, feeling a bit disappointed.

He held up a superman backpack. "I've packed a few games, and his colouring book. I also put a few dollars in the front pocket encase you decide to take him somewhere." He shrugged.

Buffy nodded and took the backpack as he held it out. "We might be at the Council building when you come and pick him up. Normally Giles likes to have these boring meetings every couple of days, depending if stuff comes up."

Booth nodded. "Okay, I'll come here first and if your not here, I'll check that other place out." He nodded and then paused. "Well…" He cleared his throat. "I'll…"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah…"

Booth turned. "Parker!" he called out loudly, "I'm going!" There was a short pause and then the sound of Parker running back down the hall. He was a blur of blonde hair and denim jeans as he raced towards Booth and gave him a big hug. Booth ruffled his hair and hugged him back.

"Be good buddy." He gave Buffy a look. "Stay out of trouble ok?" Parker stepped back and nodded vigorously as he looked up at Booth solemnly. Booth's mouth twitched as he struggled not to smile.

Not nearly as composed as Booth, Buffy couldn't help the little giggle that bubbled up inside her. The little boy was just completely adorable; he was a real rascal and she could see him and Robbie would get along famously.

Booth smiled at Parker one more time, nodded gratefully at Buffy and then turned and headed out the door. Buffy sighed softly as the door clicked shut behind him. She looked down and found Parker looking at her curiously "Do you want some Pancakes for breakfast?" she asked.

The boy nodded happily. Buffy smiled. "Funny shapes or circles?" she asked.

Parker grinned. "Funny shapes!" He jumped up and down and clapped his hands.

Buffy laughed and took his hand as Faith wandered in from the living room and smiled. "He's gonna walk all over you if you don't do something soon." she told the smaller blonde as Parker bounced down the hall, dragging Buffy behind him.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Shut up Faith!" she snapped, looking down at Parker and smiling.

(v)

When Booth returned to the hotel he found Bones waiting outside the front. He parked and she hurried over, a stack of folders in her hand, she smiled at him as she got into the passenger's seat. "Is Parker ok with Buffy?" she asked.

Booth nodded. "He's fine, probably going to have the time of his life scamming sweets and soda." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "As if that kid needs any more sugar."

Bones smiled at that. "Yes, he is quiet excitable, isn't he."

"That he is." He agreed with a smile before he noticed the amount of folders in Bones had. He sobered immediately, sadness settling in his gut as he remembered what the day entailed. "So. Who's family are we visiting first?" he asked quietly.

Bones grimaced and opened the first file. "Tania Hutchinson, 54 Trobin Ave, Cleveland." Booth activated his GPS, quickly typing in the address.

"Ok," he muttered as the GPS greeted him warmly as he pulled out of the car park. "Let's get this over and done with."

(v)

Vorkuta, Northern Russia,

The early hours of June 18th 2009

Connor grumbled under his breath. It was night; they were at the edge of the town, in the area that used to house the forced-labour camps. It was cold, and the fog was thick as they crept along through the rundown buildings, and vacant lots. Beside him walked Hannah, a Slayer.

She was tall, almost as tall as he was, with flame-red hair that she currently had stuffed under a woollen cap. Her piercing blue eyes swept the area in front of them as she gripped her sword tight. On his other side Dawn kept close to him, she had a sword in her hand and a small crossbow strapped to her back.

Dawn's face was grim, her mouth set in a determined line as they trudged through the snow. A few minutes later they slunk around a debilitated building, keeping low and quiet as they raced across a gravel road before crouching down behind a scope of trees and peered out into a large field that was surrounded by a tall fence. In the middle of the field, a good two hundred meters away and almost obscured by fog, they could just make out the form of a large warehouse, a dim yellow light flickered in a second story window.

Connor shifted restlessly and turned to his wife. "Is there even a slight change that you will stay out here?" he asked quietly, a smile in his eyes despite the seriousness to his tone.

Dawn smiled back at him. "Not a chance," she told him. "I'm going in there with you, no matter what you say."

A few meters away, leaning against a tree trunk, Hannah just smiled. "Just quit while you're ahead, Connor," she murmured, her voice thick with an Aussie twang. "She's as stubborn as any Slayer."

Connor just sighed, leaned over and kissed Dawn quickly; it was soft, and full of love. "Just stay behind me, ok? I don't want you getting hurt," he told her, gripping his axe tight.

Dawn nodded and exchanged a glance with Hannah. "I will, these Thesulac demons are some tough son-of-a-bitches." She shook her head.

Connor nodded and stood up slowly. "Come on then," he said as he took a step forwards towards the fence. 'The sooner we eliminate this nest, the sooner we can get back to Cleveland."

Hannah bit her lip. "And you can see your dad?" she asked. She had been filled in on what was going on, she still didn't understand how Connor's father could be a vampire, who had died and was now human with no knowledge of who he used to be. It was all very confusing, and something she was struggling to make sense of. In the two years since she had been a Slayer, the young Australian had learned to believe in most things.

Connor nodded at her question, his stare distant as he remembered the past. "Yeah, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that." He whispered.

Dawn took a step towards him and took his hand in hers. "I can't imagine what Buffy must be going through. Angel, alive…human….she must be ecstatic!" The brunette smiled, remembering Buffy when she was happiest, with Angel.

Connor nodded slowly. "Yeah, but he doesn't remember any of us. He thinks his name is Seeley Booth." He paused and shook his head again. "What the hell kind of name is Seeley anyway?" he rolled his eyes as he chuckled softly.

Dawn smiled and laughed with him. "At least it's not William," she muttered, "That would have been funny! And Spike would think it was a hoot!"

Connor snorted and rolled his eyes. "Not as funny as Albert," he muttered.

"Or Harry!"

"Oh, how about Bob?"

Hannah shook her head and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Ok! Back on topic!" she shouted. "We gonna kill ourselves some demons or what?"

Connor and Dawn both looked contrite. "Right. Sorry," murmured Dawn, Connor nodded.

They all got up, shifting and slowly moving from behind the trees and out towards the warehouse. Connor had only taken a few steps before he chuckled quietly.

"Seeley," he muttered under his breath as he shook his head again as he crept towards the fence, taking out a pair of wire cutters from his pocket and knelt down beside the fence and started cutting through the wires.

Dawn giggled again and Hannah rolled her eyes as she slipped through the hole Connor made in the wire, her eyes wide and alert as she held her sword held at the ready.

(v)

Robbie and Parker laughed quietly as they slinked around the apartment, hiding behind couches and curtains so that they could jump out and shout loudly, scaring Buffy out of her skin before scampering away. Faith wasn't even there to help her out. The other Slayer was up at the school, helping to train some of the younger Slayers in unarmed combat.

Finally, after trying for an hour to read a new report on Polgara demons, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Ok, come on guys, I have a lot of reading to do ok? How about you play a nice quiet game of hide and seek instead?" she told them.

Robbie and Parker emerged from behind the couch, looked at each other and then grinned. "Ok!" they announced at the same time. Robbie dashed off quickly, running around the corner and disappearing from sight before Parker could even blink. The little blonde boy pouted. Buffy smiled and patted the couch beside her. Parker grinned and raced around the couch, jumping up next to her.

"Just close your eyes and count. When you get to 15 you can shout 'ready or not!' and then you can go find Robbie, ok?"

Parker nodded vigorously. He had played hide and seek before with the twins at the other end of the street, but at four he sometimes needed reminding of the rules. He placed his palms over his eyes and started counting. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…nine…ten…eleven..." He fell silent.

Buffy glanced at the little boy sitting next to her. "Twelve," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Twelve," Parker parroted before he fell silent again.

'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen," Buffy quickly told him.

"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, READY OR NOT!" yelled Parker at the top of his lungs before he quickly jumped of the couch and rushed out of the room. Buffy shook her head at the boy's antics and turned back to her reading.

A few minutes later Parker came running back into the living room, his eyes wide and scared. Buffy immediately slipped of the couch and knelt down in front of him. "What's wrong Parker?"

The little boy's bottom lip quivered. "He's under the bed!" he whined.

Buffy blinked in confusion. "You found him?" She smiled and shook her head. "So go tag him silly!" She laughed.

Parker shook his head frantically. "Can't!" he muttered, his bottom lip quivering.

Buffy frowned again. "Why not?" she asked quietly. She was getting confused. Had the rules for hide and seek changed and nobody had thought to tell her?

"Cause there's monsters under the bed," he whispered.

Buffy stopped herself just before she started smiling. "Are you sure?" she asked seriously. Knowing that what she said to the four year old at this moment could be important with how he dealt with this in the future.

The little boy nodded vigorously "Ah huh. Daddy normally checks under my bed for monsters, but Daddy isn't here and Robbie is under the bed and I don't want the monsters to get him, and I don't want the monsters to get me…" he babbled.

Buffy blinked and then smiled in relief. It wasn't a real monster, just a four year-olds normal overactive imagination. She took his hand. "Come on, we'll deal with the monster together ok!" She stood up and headed towards Robbie's room, Parker trailing beside her as he gripped her hand tight.

When she reached Robbie's room she stopped and leaned against the doorjamb as she peered into the room. "Robbie…come out, come out wherever you are," she announced in a singsong voice as she let go of Parker's hand and stepped into the room. Crouching down on her knees she leaned forward and peered under the bed, Robbie was lying under the bed, his face turned towards her. He scowled as she spotted him.

Buffy beckoned and Parker came slinking up to her, he was nervous. He dropped down next to her and peeked under the bed as well.

"See," Buffy told him, a smile in her voice. "Robbie's fine. No monsters under this bed."

Parker breathed a sigh of relief and sat up; Robbie crawled out from under the bed and pouted. "Mommy and Buffy kill all the bad monsters," he told Parker solemnly.

Parker paused looking at Buffy inquiringly. Buffy smiled at the little boy and ruffled his hair. "I sure do," she murmured.

Parker grinned. "Daddy catches all the bad men," he told them. "Sometimes he kills them, but he doesn't like it and he is always sad when he has to kill them."

Buffy looked at the little boy sympathetically as she stood up. "How about we forget about hide and seek for the moment, hey?" Robbie and Parker both nodded. "Great, let's go have some lunch," Buffy offered, causing both boys to yell happily in agreement.

(v)

The older man and his wife were sitting on the couch, clutching each other as if there life depended on it. Bones slowly showed them one of Angela's sketches of a young woman. The man reached out and tentatively took the picture, he showed it to his wife, who glanced at the drawing and broke down, wailing her grief as tears started streaming down her face.

Booth swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking furiously and glancing away. Bones looked at him as he could see she was struggling with the tears as well.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr and Mrs Hutchinson," Booth offered, making his voice soothing as he looked at the older man in sympathy. Mr Hutchinson nodded, his eyes watering. "Did your daughter have any enemies, anyone that would want to cause her harm?"

Mrs Hutchinson shook her head frantically. "No, no she was a beautiful girl everyone loved her." She turned her head and started sobbing into her husbands shoulder.

Booth sighed and looked away. He nodded and stood up. "Thank you for your time," he murmured, Bones standing up with him. "We'll let ourselves out."

Booth and Bones walked quickly out of the house and closed the front door behind them. Booth stood on the front step and put his sunglasses on. "One down…." he muttered under his breath as he walked down the steps and towards the SUV, Bones walking silently beside them. "…so many more to go…"

(v)

After a lunch of salad sandwiches and glasses of juice, Buffy decided to take the boys out. It wasn't too far to the Council building, they could walk there and then Buffy could talk to Giles and the others while the boys played.

They washed their hands and faces while Buffy grabbed her coat and keys before heading out the door.

The walk was uneventful, the boys rushed ahead, stopping at each street corner and waiting until Buffy caught up so that they could cross the roads.

A few minutes later they all tumbled into the lobby of the Council building. Buffy sent Robbie and Parker down the hall to the playroom; Robbie already knew where it was. It was where he stayed whenever he was here; sometimes there were other kids; children of other clients, younger siblings of Slayers when their parents came to visit, sometimes even a few demon kids.

The room had a couch, a play station, one of those table-tennis things. All in all it was a fun room, and Robbie had no qualms with parting from Buffy in favour of the play station.

Parker however wasn't so sure, he liked Buffy, she was pretty and good fun and he wasn't sure he liked this large, dark building. Robbie noticed the younger boy's hesitation and smiled; he remembered he had hated this building before too, until he figured out the slippery tiles made a great slide when he was only wearing socks. Robbie smiled and tugged on Parkers sleeve. "Come on, it's fun! They have cool games!" he told the younger boy.

Parker thought about that for a second before he nodded and grinned. "Ok," he agreed, following the older boy down the hall and towards the game room.

Buffy smiled at them and walked the other way; she passed Harmony, and a few seconds later she opened the door to the large library on the ground floor and looked around at the entire gang. They looked up and called hello, greeting her warmly.

Faith grinned. "How did the little terrors go?" she asked amusement clear in her voice as she leaned back against the couch under the window.

Buffy smiled. "We had a little issue with hide and seek but nothing to bad. How about you?" she asked.

Faith shrugged, she had spent the morning at the_ Summers School for Gifted Girls_, helping to train some of the newer Slayers. Faith liked the job, it was only for a few hours a week (a few of the older Slayers trained the girls with weapons, and Spike sometimes taught them martial arts) so she could still spend some time with Robbie and get a bit of money.

"It was ok," she murmured. "Mandy took a punch to the nose that she should have dodged, but she's ok now." She fell silent. She had been thinking about getting more work with the Slayers once Robbie started Kindergarten in the fall, but she wasn't quite sure yet.

Lorne, who was sitting near Faith, greeted Buffy warmly. Buffy smiled back at the empathy demon; she liked Lorne, he was always kind and he was great with the girls, teaching them about Pylea, and peaceful demons. Right now he was wearing one of his long trench coats, trying to hide his green skin. A black fedora was sitting on the coffee table. "When did you get here?" she asked, coming over and giving the demon a hug.

"Just a few minutes ago." He said.

From the other side of the room Willow smiled. "I heard about Booth and Parker." Her eyes twinkling in excitement. "So tell me all about it."

Lorne grinned. "How is he? Still as broody as ever?"

Buffy grinned. "There's nothing to tell! I offered to look after Parker, while Booth and Dr Brennan worked on the case, it was just a nice thing to do." She paused and glanced at Lorne. "And no, he's not broody at all…"

"I actually heard him laugh." Faith added.

Lorne turned to the brunette beside him and smiled sadly. "A rare occurrence," he muttered quietly so only they could hear.

On the other side of the room, sitting at a table, Xander glanced up and rolled his eyes having caught the end of the discussion "Yeah, sure, Buffy." He smirked in amusement. If there was one thing he knew for certain about Buffy, it was that when it came to Angel, or now Booth, she never, ever did anything just because it was the 'right' thing to do. She did it because she wanted to do it, wether is was the best thing or not, she didn't care.

Hell, more often then not, when it came to Angel, she did the last _thing_ that would be considered 'right'.

He still wasn't sure about how he felt about the FBI agent. He and Angel had never gotten along, even though he knew the souled vampire had always cared about Buffy. Now that Angel was human, there really wasn't anything he could protest and he figured he could wait a little longer until he started hating the man.

Buffy walked across the room, over towards Giles and gave her former Watcher a quick hug before settling down in the chair next to him. "Did any of the patrols find anything?" she asked.

Giles shook his head. "The warehouse is deserted. The FBI is pretty thorough when collecting evidence."

Willow smiled. "I bet a lot of that had to do with Dr Brennan," she told the others; she had admired the forensic anthropologist when they met the other day.

Giles nodded in agreement. "You're probably right. In any case they found nothing, the vampires have obviously moved on."

Buffy frowned in annoyance. "We'll get them. I'm going to make sure of that!" she said, Faith nodded vigorously in agreement.

They all fell silent again, Willow reading, Xander working on something for his building company. Faith got up and headed out the door, Buffy looked around, suddenly noticing the absence of a certain British vampire. "Where's Spike?" she asked curiously.

The blonde vampire had surprised everyone and was living in a small apartment not that far away; he helped out with training the Slayers. He often went out patrolling by himself and was pretty good with putting in his two cents about vampire and demon behaviour. He was still one of Buffy's closest friends, got along pretty well with Lorne and Faith and he adored Robbie. When Connor and Dawn were in town he always loved spending time with them. He still called her 'little bit', a nickname that she hated, but he didn't care.

Connor would always ask him things about Angel, if he asked, Spike would tell the boy about Angel's past, and the stuff they got up to, both with and without their souls. More often then not the blonde vampire would get drunk and end up crashing on Dawn and Connor's couch.

Sometimes he would disappear for a few weeks or months at a time, when Dawn and Connor when to Australia to pick up Hannah, Spike had gone with them. He had visited LA a few times, and when Illyria turned up every couple of years after her wanderings, he would normally spend a few days just hanging out with the ancient God King.

"Illyria turned up, again," murmured Giles._ Speak of the devil._ "I think they were at his house, Illyria was telling him what she had been up too…They'll probably be here once the sun sets."

Buffy still didn't understand everything about Illyria. According to Willow, she had once been a young woman called Fred, a good friend of Angel's. A few months before LA went to hell, Fred had made the mistake of opening an ancient sarcophagus before she had known what it was. Illyria had hollowed out her body, liquefying her organs and taken her over all in the space of 24 hours. According to Spike, Wes had taken it pretty hard.

Even now she knew Spike thought that Fred's death was one of the reasons the former Watcher had died, he had wanted to be with Fred again.

In the years since Spike and Connor had first appeared in her apartment, Illyria had turned up once or twice, looking decidedly demonic with her mane of blue hair and red-leather suit.

Xander always made a quick exit when the blue haired god turned up. The one time he had met her, she had made a comment that he was 'appealing', her vivid blue eyes looking over his form curiously. Before anyone else could even react, Xander's eyes had widened and after making a distressed sound in the back of his throat he had turned around and ran from the room, muttering about demon women and 'just my luck'.

The rest of the Scoobies hadn't known wether to be amused or concerned.

Illyria had tilted her head to the side. "The human is strange and nicely formed." Spike had just rolled his eyes.

Buffy shook her head, coming out of her musings. "Great," she muttered, "This is the last thing we need!"

Willow frowned. "Don't be like that, Buffy," murmured Willow. "Illyria's strange, but she helps…you remember Spike said she's one of the reasons he and Connor got out of LA alive."

"I know, she just gives me the wiggins, that's all," she said, shivering slightly.

"You're not the only one," muttered Xander with a frown, causing Buffy and Willow to laugh and Giles to smile.

The door opened again and Faith walked back inside, Parker and Robbie trailing in behind her. Parker ran up to Buffy and bounced on his heels as he tugged on Buffy's jacket. "Is daddy going to be here soon?" he asked quietly.

Buffy smiled. "I'm sure he will be here soon," she told the little boy, but Parker wasn't listening. The little boy was staring at Lorne, his eyes widening. Buffy blanched. _Shit _"Ahhh…"

Lorne cleared his throat and smiled at the little boy. "Hey little man, I'm Lorne." He held out his hand and shook the little boy's hand.

Parker continued to stare at the green-skinned demon, everyone else is watching Parker closely, just waiting for the screaming to start. "Parker…" Buffy whispered quietly, reaching out towards the boy.

The little boy blinked. "You have green skin," he pointed out happily.

Lorne smiled. "That's right," he murmured. He glanced at Buffy and caught her eye, noticing the small shake of her head. He grinned. "It's just makeup…I'm in the circus, I work as a clairvoyant."

"A care..care..vault?" the little boy screwed up his face in confusion.

Lorne grinned. "Clairvoyant, I can read someone's destiny, but only if you sing for me."

Parker thought about that for a second. "Cool," he muttered. Then he paused and frowned. "Are you a clown too?"

Lorne blinked and shook his head, opening his mouth he started to explain to the little boy that a clown was something different. But before he could even get a word in the door opened again and Agent Booth and Dr Brennan walked into the room.

Lorne turned his head and gasped quietly as he saw Booth. "Oh…boy," he murmured under his breath as he saw the former vampire for the first time. Noticing the strength in his soul and the unbreakable bond he had with his son and Dr Brennan, he also saw the connection the tall agent was starting to form with Buffy. At this revelation the empathy demon smiled happily. There was no doubt in his mind that this truly was Angel.

For his part Booth's eyes widened when he saw Lorne. "What the hell!" he muttered, stopping dead in his tracks and tensing up in anticipation.

Bones paused beside him, gasping softly when she noticed Lorne she quickly grabbed the Agents arm. "No Booth," she said. "Don't shoot the clown!"

"What," snapped Booth, looking down at her with a shocked took on his face. "I wasn't going to shoot him." He glanced at Lorne and frowned. "What's with the skin?" He shifted on his feet, and everyone in the room could see how tense he was.

Lorne paused. "Er…I'm in the circus?"

Booth eyes narrowed and Brennan's widened. Booth's fingers twitched, just centimetres from his gun holster. He really, really hated clowns!

He fought the urge to shoot the 'clown', instead he sighed, pushed his jacket out of the way and placed his hands on his hips glaring at Lorne, the empathy demon was almost wilting under his hard stare.

"Daddy!" Parker yelled, running across the room and opening his arms. Booth blinked, breaking off his stare and looked down at his son; he smiled and relaxed, taking his hands off his hips he crouched down and scooped the little boy up. Holding him tight he settled the boy on his hip. "Hey buddy! My you're getting heavy!"

"You're just getting old dad!" The little boy grinned.

Brennan laughed, and Buffy's eyes widened in shock as Booth just shook his head and grinned. He turned his head and rolled his eyes at Brennan. "Can you believe this kid?" he asked, cocking his head. "After everything I've done for him." Parker giggled and buried his head in Booth's shoulder.

"Did you have fun today?" he asked looking at Buffy, Buffy got up and walked over, a smile tugging at her own lips as she watched father and son together.

The little boy nodded. "Uh huh, we played hide and seek and I got scared of the monster under the bed, but Buffy made it go away and I found Robbie, and then we had lunch." He took a deep breath and then fell silent.

Booth blinked and glanced at Buffy. "That was…thanks." He smiled and looked down at his son. "We'll get all those bad monsters under the bed and you won't have to worry about them ok?" he murmured.

Parker nodded and Booth glanced at Buffy again. "Thanks for looking after him," he said.

Buffy shrugged. "It's no problem, he was good and we had fun. I can look after him tomorrow as well." She paused. "Or, Faith will…" She glanced at the dark-haired Slayer who nodded as Buffy suddenly remembered that she was patrolling tomorrow night.

Booth nodded. "Sure." He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. "Well, it's getting late, and we better go…"

Buffy nodded vigorously. "Oh…yeah…sure," she babbled and blushed, waving as Booth and Brennan turned and walked out of the library. She heard them chatting as they walked down the hall.

"Damn, B," muttered Faith from behind her. "You still got it bad!"

"Shut up, Faith," Buffy muttered softly, trying to control her racing heart.


	7. Chapter 7

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 7

Buffy's Apartment

Cleveland Ohio, June 19th 2009

The shrill, insistent beeping of the alarm clock woke Buffy from one of the more pleasant dreams she had had in a while. She groaned and flung out her hand, hitting the clock radio on her bedside table and sending it crashing to the floor. It smashed into tiny bits and stopped beeping.

Buffy sighed in annoyance and opened her eyes. It had been a couple of days since she had first started looking after Parker, in that time Booth had been dropping the little boy off every day and picking him up after he finished work.

Parker was adorable; he was getting along with Robbie really well. She and Faith were taking turns in looking after them. She would look after them in the morning, while Faith went to work. They would eat and in the afternoon Booth would come and pick him up. After Parker left and they had eaten dinner Buffy would normally head out for a patrol.

Last night she had gone out and headed south, towards a small but busy shopping area. She had bagged herself quite a few vampires, a strange occurrence in the last couple of years. Normally the local Slayer squad kept the demons and vampires away.

But the Hellmouth was acting up again and the vampires and demons were flocking into Cleveland again. She almost welcomed the distraction…almost.

She yawned again and slowly got out of bed, stretching and running her hands through her hair. She quickly made her bed, grabbed some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom.

She had a shower, got dressed and blow dried her hair, fluffing up the ends and securing her blonde locks with a clip.

She slipped out of the bathroom and down the hall, heading towards the kitchen. She smiled softly as she entered the room and sat down at the dining table, opposite Robbie. Faith was standing at the stove; she turned her head and smiled when Buffy walked in. She grabbed the pan, turned and tipped a freshly cooked pancake onto her plate.

Buffy grinned and squirted some maple syrup onto the pancake and was just about to take a bite when the doorbell rang. Before she could react, Robbie dropped his fork and bounced out of his seat, racing towards the front door. Faith and Buffy looked at each other; Faith smirked at her as Buffy slowly raised a hand a brushed a few strands of hair back from her face and tucked them behind her ears. Then, despite not having eaten anything, she took a drink of water and used the napkin to dab at the corner of her mouth.

The door opened and she heard Parker laugh, the door closed softly and the sound of footsteps echoed through the apartment as they walked down the hall. Robbie and Parker bounded into the kitchen, and sat down at the table. Booth appeared in the doorway, looking down at them and then smiled at her.

"Hey," he said.

Buffy smiled at him, Faith turned around and raised her eyebrows at the agent. "Do you want some pancakes?" she asked him.

Booth blinked and tore his gaze away from Buffy's smiling face. He cleared his throat and eyed the freshly cooked pancakes. He shrugged. "Oh…Ok, what the hell." He smiled and walked further into the room, taking the seat next to Buffy. "Bones won't mind if I'm a little late," he said.

Faith nodded, grabbed a couple of plates, placed a pancake on each, and then set the plates down in front of Booth and Parker. Then she pored the last of the mixture into the pan, and started cooking a pancake for herself. Booth grinned and grabbed the maple syrup, squirting a generous amount on the pancake and then started to eat.

Faith finished cooking her pancake, flipped it onto her plate and took the last seat on the table. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Booth and Faith finished their pancakes in record time, Buffy couldn't help the small smile that was tugging at her lips.

Finally Booth looked up, noticed the look in her eyes and smiled at her. "What?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Nothing," she muttered.

Booth looked her in the eye, set his fork down and cleared his throat "Can I ask you something?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

"Er…yeah, ok." She said.

Booth looked down. "Um…I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to lunch with me today?"

Buffy blinked. "I…"

"You don't have to, I just…. Well you don't have to…"

Buffy smiled. "I would love to," she said.

Booth grinned and resisted the urge to jump up and punch the air in victory. "Great," he exclaimed happily.

Faith looked between them, a smile tugging at her lips. "I have a better idea," she announced placing her fork down and licking her lips "How about you go out for dinner? Parker can stay the night; we can have a sleepover with DVD's and popcorn. You guys can go out, and….have a good time." She smirked and Buffy rolled her eyes at the other Slayer.

Booth raised an eyebrow, turned to Buffy and shrugged, showing that he was ok with the idea.

"Well," Buffy said, "If you trust Faith to look after Parker…"

Booth laughed, glancing at Faith as she smiled. He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can." Buffy smiled again, ducking her head in pleasure.

Booth rose to his feet. "Well, I better be getting to work, but I'll see you later…I'll pick you up…. around 6.30?"

Buffy agreed; Booth gave Faith a small smile, ruffled Parker's hair and kissed the four year-old on the forehead before he turned and headed out of the apartment. As they heard the front door close Buffy let out a deep sigh and put her head in her hands. "Oh, bad, bad Buffy…" she moaned.

Faith patted her on the back. "You'll be fine!" she laughed.

"No! You don't get it, this is bad," she told the other Slayer, spreading her hands wide and pleading with her.

"Buffy, he's Angel, human and curse free. What's not to love?" Faith asked.

She shook her head. "He doesn't remember who he was, what we had….all these memories he has of being Booth are a lie…I would be…taking advantage," she whispered.

Faith snorted. "Honestly Buffy! Want, take, have. Remember?" She smirked.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and that worked out _so_ well last time!"

"Ok, not that great…but…he's _Angel_…" She looked Buffy directly in the eye. "This is the chance to make it work, B, finally work," she said softly.

Buffy looked down, and nodded slowly. "I need to buy a new dress and shoes…and maybe I should do something with my hair…" she mused.

Faith rolled her eyes and sighed as Buffy continued to rattle off things she needed to do before her date.

(v)

Later that day…

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Booth?" Bones asked her partner as they sat next to each other on a wooden bench. They were outside the police station, taking a coffee break as they sat in the park that was across the road. "You only just met, you're not usually so…" She paused. "Spontaneous."

Booth laughed. "I'm spontaneous," he grumbled taking a sip of his coffee.

Bones looked at him. "Deciding what to have for lunch on the basis of your stomach is _not_ being spontaneous,"

"Really? Hummm…" Booth took another sip of his coffee. "I… just really, really like her Bones," he murmured. "She's…" He sighed wistfully. "God, she's…"

Bones raised an eyebrow. "This is new; normally you're very eloquent in your thoughts."

Booth snorted. "Yeah, well she's….doing things to my brain." He sighed and smiled to himself. "I haven't felt this way about anyone before, not even Rebecca… it's kinda scary." Shaking his head again he turned and looked at the anthropologist.

Bones licked her lips and looked away. "How….how do you know these feelings are right?" she asked him softly.

He smiled, and reached out to gave her a quick hug. "I don't, but that's the beauty of it, Bones. Not knowing what's to come, not knowing what it will bring…" He shook his head. "It's magic."

"There's no such thing as magic," Bones told him softly, shaking her head.

Booth rolled his eyes. "Not literal magic!" He chuckled, drained his cup and threw the paper cup in the trash. He stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on, we better get back."

"I don't like this, Booth," she said, ignored his outstretched hand as she got to her feet. The old fashioned gesture wasn't something Booth would normally do.

They started walking back to work. "Why?" he asked.

Bones sighed. "We've always had a lead before, but none of the family know anything, all the evidence indicates a serial killer, because of the time period a copycat is possible, but there is no evidence to support that….we haven't found a trace of the killer." She shook her head.

Booth looked at her in surprise. "It wasn't that long ago when you were only focused on the bones, and not the person they had been."

Bones flinched and blinked back tears as she turned her head and looked at him. Booth noticed the look in her bright blue eyes, stopped, and placed his hands on her shoulders as he turned her towards him. "I like this change in you," he whispered.

Bones smiled. "I'm not sure I do yet," she admitted. "It doesn't help us solve the case and it hurts more, when I start to think of them as human."

Booth nodded and let go of her shoulders and they started walking again. "Yeah…"

They were silent for a few seconds and then Brennan sighed. "So, where are you and Buffy going?" she asked.

Booth immediately brightened. "Well I asked Pete, you remember the cop we were talking to the other day….anyway, he recommended this little place, not so fancy that I have to wear a suit, but not some hillbilly bar either…so I'm gonna take her there." He smiled wistfully. After a few minutes he frowned thoughtfully. "Hey do you think I should get her chocolates? Or flowers?" He scratched his head "I never know…"

"Flowers," Bones told him immediately.

"You sure?" he asked.

The anthropologist nodded. "If you get her chocolates she could take it badly, that you feel she's to skinny and needs to eat more…"

"But she is…"

Brennan glared at him. "It's not up to you, Booth," she said. "Or, she'll feel obligated to eat the chocolate, despite the diet and then she'll be annoyed at you that she gains a few pounds."

Booth frowned and thought about that for a second "Right, flowers…" he paused and rubbed his hand over his chin "What kind of flowers? Roses? Everyone gives roses on a date."

Brennan shrugged. "Red roses are beautiful Booth, did you know they represent love, respect, courage and passion." She smiled up at Booth. "Are you sure you want to show her all that on a first date?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

At the word 'passion' Booth froze, and in his mind's eye he saw himself standing outside a quiet suburban house, peering through a window as Buffy picks up a phone and listens to the person on the other end.

A string of haunting, ethereal words floated unbidden through his brain and he could do nothing to stop them.

_Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping...waiting... and though unwanted...unbidden... it will stir...open its jaws, and howl. It speaks to us... guides us... passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank... without passion, we'd be truly dead._

Stumbling to a halt he took a deep breath. He hadn't had another one of these memory flashes since yesterday, and he was quietly hoping that maybe they had stopped.

Bones stopped with him, turning her blue eyes on him and grabbing his arm. "Booth!" she shouted, concerned. She shook him slightly as she looked up at him in concern.

He exhaled and blinked, shaking his head. He forced a smile and looked down at her.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly.

"I had another one of those, memory things." He sighed and looked away.

"You really should get that checked, it's not right." Bones pleaded to him, her eyes wide and full of concern. She hated what these memories were doing to him. He was always so strong, so sure of himself. Seeing him having doubts left her feeling incredibly concerned, for him.

"I'm fine, Bones, nothing to worry about." He started walking again.

"Then why do you look so scared?" she asked softly, seeing the new, haunted look in his dark eyes.

Booth paused and then looked down at her, he sighed. "I…I don't think I'll get her roses," he said.

"What, why?" she asked. "Roses are beautiful."

"Too much…to many memories," he whispered.

(v)

A few hours later…

Buffy smoothed the delicate fabric over her hips and tugged at the bottom of her dress. She adjusted the straps, zipped the back up and turned, expecting her reflection critically. "How do I look?" she asked as she looked in the mirror.

Faith leaned against the door of her bedroom. The dark haired Slayer grinned, walked into the room and stopped behind Buffy. She tucked the tag into the back of her dress. "I think his heart is gonna stop when he see's you, B, you look great."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief; it had taken her all day to find just the right dress. She was almost about ready to give up, having found nothing she liked when she had just happened to wandered past a little boutique, it looked expensive but it was her last chance.

The dress was simply stunning. Black, zipping high at the back and plunging low into a 'V' at the front, exposing just the right amount of cleavage without being tacky. It was fitted across her breasts, clinching in at the stomach and hugging the curves of her hips before ending just above her knee.

It was beautiful, and she hopped Booth would like it. She had put on her best matching set of lingerie, a pale pick bra and panties with black lace detail, and finished off the ensemble with a killer pair of black pumps.

Her hair was up in a messy bun, strands of hair falling around her face. Her makeup was clean, just a little concealer, eye shadow and mascara to bring out the hazel of her eyes.

Last of all she sprayed a small amount of perfume at her wrists and neck.

She smiled into the mirror "Do you think he will like it?" she asked Faith quietly, shifting nervously.

Faith snorted. "He'll love it B, stop fussing!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and played with a stray curl framing her face. "I can't help it," she muttered. "It's Angel…Booth and we're going on a date, without coffee and…and we're going on a date!" she gasped.

Faith took a step closer, grabbed Buffy around her shoulder and spun her around. "B, breathe!" she snapped, shaking the blonde slightly.

Buffy took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah, ok…I'm fine, I'm fine." She took another deep breath, took a step back and ran a hand down the side of her dress.

"I just…I can't believe this is really happening," she whispered, awed.

"Want me to pinch ya?" Faith asked with a smirk.

Buffy glared. "No!" she snapped.

(v)

Booth shifted on his feet as he stood in front of Buffy's door. He knocked shifting the bouquet of white lilies until they were hidden behind his back. A few seconds later the door opened, revealing Buffy.

His eyes opened wide as he saw her, his gaze raking down over her form before flicking back up to her dancing eyes. "Um…Er." He coughed as he tried to steady his racing heart. "You look…" He gave her a small smile. "You look beautiful."

Buffy blushed happily, glancing down and smiling. "Thanks," she whispered, looking up she gave him a wink. "You don't look too shabby either."

He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a long sleeved dress shirt that was a dark green. Smiling, he pulled the flowers out from behind his back "I got you these," he told her softly, looking her in the eye and watching her reaction.

Buffy gasped and beamed as she looked at the flowers. She loved lilies; they were one of her favourites. "Oh Booth!" she breathed, reaching out and taking them from his grip she raised them to her nose and sniffed. "They're gorgeous." She looked at him and smiled, and before she realised what she was doing she took a step towards him, took his hand in hers and reach up to kiss him on the cheek.

As he felt her soft lips brush against the faint stubble on his cheeks, Booth closed his eyes and sighed softly. Buffy blinked as soon as her lips touched his skin, gasped softly and pulled back. She bit her lip. "Sorry," she muttered, unsure if they had gotten to the kissing stage yet.

She hadn't been on many dates, had been on even less 'normal' ones, and she wasn't quiet sure of the correct protocol. How soon should they start kissing?

Booth opened his eyes as he felt her lips leave and turned his head slowly to look down at her. He forced himself to smile, feeling a little disappointed. But then he noticed the uncertainty in her eyes.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, and took a step forward. Steeling himself, hoping _he_ was doing the right thing he leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

He pressed his lips firmly against hers, held the kiss for a second and then pulled back. She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide and he waited. She smiled, and her eyes twinkled.

He chuckled softly. "Couldn't help myself." He shrugged, reached out and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. He licked his lips, wanting so much to kiss her again. Taking a deep breath, he made a conscious effort to take a step back.

He chuckled again, slightly embarrassed. "How about we get going huh?" he asked her softly.

Buffy nodded. "Just let me put these in some water." She beckoned him inside and he followed. "So where's Parker?" he asked.

Buffy smiled at him as she grabbed a vase from the cupboard. "Faith took Parker and Robbie to _Burger King_ and I think they're gonna go see a movie, something or other…with _Transformers._" She smiled and rolled her eyes. "So we don't have to worry about the time…"

Booth smiled. "In case we're late?" he offered.

Buffy nodded at that. She kept forgetting that he didn't know her like she knew him or at least the old him. She was looking forward to knowing Booth, and really getting to understanding the man her former love had become.

It didn't make her want him any less though, and sometimes she wished she could just grab him and kiss him senseless.

Buffy placed the flowers in the vase, admired them for a second and then turned towards Booth. She smiled and held out her arm. Booth took her hand and tucked it over his arm. "Lets go," he grinned.

Buffy giggled and walked with him to the door, they stepped out and Buffy closed and locked the door behind them, before putting the keys into her clutch.

(v)

When Buffy and Booth got to the restaurant they found that it was quiet, warm and romantic with wooden floors and deep burgundy walls. The table setting was simple and elegant with a single candle in the centre of the table. Buffy looked around in awe. "Wow, this place is amazing."

Booth nodded absently as he watched Buffy's face light up in happiness. "I owe Pete one," he said.

Buffy raised her eyebrows and Booth explained how the cop recommended the place, as he didn't know any of the restaurants in Cleveland. The maître d' led them to a table across the other side of the restaurant and Booth pulled Buffy's chair out for her. Buffy ducked her head to hide her happy smile.

They started talking as they waited for their meals. Booth asked her about her life, and Buffy tried to give as much detail as possible, without revealing anything about the supernatural. He asked about her friends and family and Buffy smiled as she told him about Willow, Xander, Giles and Spike, she explained about the friends she had lost, Tara, Anya and Cordelia. She told him about her little sister Dawn and her husband Connor.

Booth frowned briefly at the mention of Connor, as he remembered the dream he had had not that long ago.

Their food arrived and they fell into a comfortable silence as they started to eat. After a few bites and a sip of her wine, Buffy raised her head and asked him about himself. Booth hesitated for a moment, staring into her eyes. He wasn't normally so open about his past, especially the things he wasn't proud of. But the look in her eyes made him relax, he trusted her.

He licked his lips, glanced down at his plate and started telling her about himself. He told her about his father, an abusive man he hadn't seen in fifteen years; he told her about his younger brother Jarred, and laughed as told her the antics his younger brother had gotten into. He paused and spoke with reverence about his grandpa. He told her about his old friend, Cam, his partner and best friend, Dr Brennan, and the rest of the squints, Angela, Hodgins, and Sweets.

He told her more about Rebecca, and how it had ended. Buffy asked if he regretted not getting married. Booth looked up at her then, hearing something in her voice that he couldn't identify. "No," he answered her question, shaking his head. "It's better this way."

They finished their meals and were waiting for some desert when Booth decided to tell her he had been a sniper. The look on her face was one of shock and regret as he explained that he had been in the army.

Buffy licked her lips and asked if he had killed anyone. Booth didn't answer, just looked away and Buffy took that as answer enough. It made her angry. Even with a whole new set of memories, a new life, and a new humanity. The Powers-that-Be still saw fit to make him miserable. The guilt and regret she saw in his eyes as he talked about that time was palpable, it made her want to cry. Why couldn't they let him live his life in peace, without guilt?

Booth found himself liking Buffy more and more. She laughed and smiled at all his jokes. She was thoughtful and compassionate. The sorrow he saw in her eyes when he talked about his past made him want to hide; he was so ashamed of what he had done.

When they were finished Booth paid for their meal and took her hand as they both headed out of the restaurant. The walk to his SUV was done in silence, as both of them got lost in their thoughts.

(v)

As Booth pulled up in front of Buffy's apartment he suddenly felt a little nervous. He killed the engine and they both sat in silence for a few seconds. Buffy looked over and gave him a smile. "I had a great time," she told him honestly, smiling.

She was quietly relieved. It was one of the better dates she had been on, no demons, no fighting. Just her and a man she loved. _The_ man she loved.

After all this time, she was finally able to be with him, and it was everything she could have hoped for. Booth was everything that was good in Angel and again so much more. He was able to laugh and joke around, the guilt he felt not weighting down on his human soul. It was nice.

Booth breathed a soft sigh of relief as he finally relaxed in his seat. "Thanks, I had a great time too." He smiled at her.

Buffy nodded, hesitated, and then decided to just go for it. She had been imagining kissing him all night, ever since he had kissed her softly earlier that night. She leaned over, shifting in her seat and moved towards him.

Booth smiled to himself and leaned forward. She kissed him softly, and he found himself being pulled in. Body and soul. He wrapped his arms around her.

_When you kiss me, I want to die._

Her lips were so soft, her skin smooth as he ran his hands down her arms until he gripped her waist. Buffy moaned low in her throat, pulled back to suck in a deep breath. She opened her mouth, encouraging him to do the same as they deepened the kiss. Their hands started to wander; digging at each others flesh. Buffy hands moved down his strong arms and up his back, stroking the muscles under his shirt.

Booth gasped softly, and pulled her over to his side of the car. Buffy let him, sliding herself against him; she sat on his lap, her knees on either side of his hips, her dress hitched up above her knees. She could feel him against her; feel how much he was enjoying himself as she pressed herself even closer against him.

Booth pulled his lips away and took a shuddering, gasping breath. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to get his breath back.

As she heard his heavy breath, and felt his chest pound with the beating of his racing heart Buffy felt her head start to clear. He wasn't Angel, he was Booth, and they were on their first date. She shifted restlessly, moving back slightly, until she was sitting on his thighs instead.

Booth noticed, and his mouth twitched in amusement. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and when he leaned forward and kissed her again they were both more relaxed and composed. Their palms moving slowly over flesh, without the urgency of before.

Again they pulled away to catch their breath, and this time when Buffy leaned forward again she ducked her head and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Hmmm," she hummed softly.

Booth laughed quietly, leaning his head back against the headrest and stroked her hair with his palm.

Buffy sat up again, looking at him through hooded eyes. She bit her lip. "I should go," she murmured, a slight blush tinging her cheeks at the heated look on his face.

He nodded, leaned forward and kissed her softly before he pulled away again. "Yeah, that would…" He took a deep breath. "Probably be for the best…or…."

Buffy's lips twitched. "We'll do something neither of us are ready for."

Booth snorted. "Speak for yourself," he muttered under his breath, shifting slightly as he tried to ease the tightness in his pants. She did things to him that other woman had to actually work for; it kind of scared him how quickly he had responded to her touch.

He wanted her, badly. But he knew she wasn't the type to go this far on the first date, and he respected that. He wasn't normally like that either, and the last thing he wanted was to push her away. So he decided to take it slow, no matter how much she turned him on. Not matter how much he wanted her at that moment.

Buffy laughed at his comment and she saw his lips curl up in a wiry little smile. She tugged at the hem of her dress, took a deep breath and patted her hair self consciously before she shifted off his lap and onto her side of the car "Well…" she whispered.

"I'll call you," he whispered. "And I'll see you tomorrow, I'll be around to pick up Parker early in the morning."

Buffy nodded and slipped out of the car. She gave him a little wave before she hurried across the footpath towards the steps leading to the building where her apartment was located. Booth watched her walk away, admiring the way her hips swayed, as he made sure she was safe. Once she closed the door he sighed, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus Christ," he muttered to himself.

Giving himself a quick shake he cleared his throat and started the car, he pulled away from the curb and heading towards the hotel. His thoughts running a million miles a minute as he focused on the little blonde he had just held in his arms.

(v)

_He could hear her breath coming in short painful gasps as they crashed through the heavy wooden door and stumbled into the small apartment. She rushed past him and he slammed the door closed behind them. Shaking with anticipation, energy, rage, and fear for the woman he loved. _

_He turned around and saw her standing in the middle of the room, her blonde hair limp, and soaking wet, she clutched her cardigan around her small frame as she shivered._

_Buffy again, looking over ten years younger. She was shaking; even from across the room he could hear her teeth chattering. He quickly walked over to her, his long stride eating the distance in seconds. He wrapped his arms around her; pulling her close._

"_We're safe," he murmured into her hair. "Its ok, we're safe now." _

_She started to sob quietly, overwhelmed with everything. She clutched him tight, her tiny fingernails digging into his arm. He didn't notice the pain, nor care as he wrapped his arms even more tightly around her, backing away and easing them both down so they were sitting on the side of his bed. He rocked her softly, whispering soothingly in her ear._

_Her sobs finally stopped and she leaned back against his chest, turning her head and pushing her nose into the crook of his throat. She breathed in his scent and smiled happily. He ran his hands over her arms. "We need to get you warm," he whispered._

_She nodded and he stood up, walking across the apartment he grabbed a fluffy towel and handed it to her. She took it and wrapped it around her chest, staring up at him, her big eyes flickering with uncertainty. He cleared his throat, a little nervous and turned around, giving her as much privacy as he could without leaving the apartment._

_He heard her shift on the bed, lean forward and gasp as she pushed her cardigan over her shoulders._

_He tensed. "You ok?" he whispered, his voice thick with concern._

"_Yeah," she said, "It's just a little cut."_

_He bit his lip. "Can I see?" he asked_

"_Ok," she said meekly._

_He moved slowly, not wanting to frighten her, knowing that she was still tense from the fight. He moved over to the bed and sat down behind her; he touched her shoulder and ran his hand over the muscles of her back. "It's already closed," he whispered, feeling relieved._

_She turned her head and looked up into his dark eyes. He gazed down at her, taking a deep breath he tried to steady the rush of emotions swirling through him as he held her tightly in his arms. She turned until she was facing him, slowly raising her hand she placed it on his cheek and pushed herself up to kiss his lips._

_The kiss started slow, chaste, but quickly turned into a wild, passion filled dance. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her and pulled her even closer. She gasped and moaned. He turned, and placing his arms around her waist he eased her down onto the covers, leaning over her and kissing her with everything he had._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as she shifting her legs against the sudden pulsing of her body._

_A soft, musky, female, smell entered his nostrils and he breathed in deep. Responding, he felt himself growing hard as he pressed himself even closer to the young woman in his arms. Buffy kissed him desperately, gasping quietly. Running her hands over his arms and back, her small nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons of his shirt._

_His movements were slow as he carefully took of her singlet and leggings. He didn't want to scare her, wanted to take it slow, make it right, make it perfect._

_Please her in every way he could._

_She was moaning loudly now as his palm brushed against the front of her panties, he heard her heart start to beat faster and faster, and her breath come in even more increasing gasps as her whole body started to hum with sensation._

_He rid her of her panties and bra, moving down the bed until he could kiss her softly. His mouth moving over her flesh, his tongue and lips bringing her closer to her release. Buffy moaned quietly, writhing on the bed, fisting her hands in his hair and gasping softly. _

"_Oh Angel," she moaned desperately, arching her back and pressing herself against him._

_He touched her again, gently placing a finger against her folds and pushing the long digit inside. Buffy gasped and bucked her hips. "Ohhh…" she moaned. "Ahhh…"_

_Her hands clutched at him again, and she urged him up. Her lips found his again and he kissed her. He felt her hands on the waistband of his pants and placed a large cool palm over hers stilling her movements._

_He leaned back, bracing his weight on his arms as he looked down at her. "Are you sure, Buffy?" he asked her quietly, gently._

_She nodded vigorously, her eyes wide and bright with lust. "Oh, yes!" she whispered and he laughed softly, a dry chuckle. He kissed her again, and then raised his hips up off hers, he undid his fly and eased the damp pants off and kicked them to the floor, quickly covering her body with his again._

_He placed his palms at the juncture of her thighs and gently pushed them apart. Buffy's breathing was coming in heavy pants now as he moved up her body and paused. The head of his penis paused at her entrance. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "But this will hurt."_

_Buffy nodded, biting her lip and gasping softly as he gently pushed himself inside her, stretching her walls for the first time and fitting himself perfectly inside her. He held himself still, letting her adjust to his size before he slowly eased back and pushed back inside, creating a slow steady rhythm._

_Buffy leaned back, gasping quietly, her eyes closed, her nails digging into his shoulders. With each shallow thrust she was coming closer and closer to her release. She moaned again, and he grunted softly, feeling her inner walls flutter around him._

_He increased the pace, feeling her shudder and cry out passionately, throwing her head back as she came. He was there a seconde later, clutching her tight and thrusting himself deep inside as he emptied his seed inside her._

_Sucking in a deep breath he collapsed on top of her, quickly rolling over to lie next to her so his weight wouldn't hurt her. She turned with him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. "That was…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath and giggling happily. _

_He smiled to himself and cradled her in his arms. "I love you, Buffy," he murmured against her hair._

_She nuzzled against him, half asleep, a warm contented smile on her face "I love you too, Angel," she told him._

(v)

With a harsh gasp Booth sat bolt upright in bed. His breathing was erratic. He looked down at himself and cursed softly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. With a harsh sigh he laid back down. He was still throbbing painfully. He ran his hand over himself, trying to sooth the ache and get some sort of release.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he muttered to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 8

Cleveland, Ohio, June 20th 2009

_Birds squawked and whistled in the trees above as he walked through a thin forest, up a hill towards a little thatched cottage perched on the top. Beside him walked Lorne, the man who was in the circus. He shook his head at that, not wanting to divulge too much into that._

"_Boy," muttered Lorne. "I'd give my left horn to not have to do this." _

_Booth turned his head and raises his eyebrows. As they got closer to the little house a group of people come into view, they all had green skin. He frowned again._

_Beside him Lorne chuckled nervously. "Hi-de-ho!" he called, falsely exuberant._

_The members of Lorne's family, because that is who he assumed they are, turned around and walked towards them. The largest member of the troop, clearly the leader had a full beard and is wearing woollen pheasant's clothes._

_Lorne smiled reluctantly and spread his arms. "Guess who's back!" he called._

_The bearded circus performer's eyes widen in shock. "Krevlorneswath?" he gasped "Can it be true? I've often prayed that I might look again upon your face." _

_Lorne almost smiled, touched. "Well, you're in luck then." He started to smile, which almost immediately fell from his face as the leader spat in Lorne's face. _

_"You have shamed our clan and betrayed your kind," he hissed at him.  
_

_Lorne sighed, dug into his pocket and started to dab at the spit with a handkerchief. "Thanks, mom," he muttered in disgust._

_Booths eyes widened and he snapped his head up in surprise, 'mom?' he mouthed under his breath. _

_Lorne's mother curled her lip in disgust. "Each morning before I feed, I go out into the hills where the ground is thorny and parched, beat my breast and curse the loins that gave birth to such a cretaceous boy-child!" she shrieked._

_Booth's eyes widened as beside him Lorne spreading his hands in a mocking gesture and turned around. "My mother," he called disdainfully._

_"Your father was right. We ate the wrong son," his mother muttered angrily._

_Lorne sighed softly. "Well, enough of this sentimental reminiscing. Just a couple of quick questions, then I'll skedaddle. You remember back around five years ago when I first disappeared, did you notice anything, odd?"  
_

_His mother nodded. "We noticed feasting and celebrations. Your brother Numfar did the dance of joy for three moons. NUMFAR!" she called over her shoulder, "Do the dance of joy!"  
_

_Behind Lorne's mother, up on the hill closer to the hut, Numfar started dancing. Including moves like kicking his legs, bunny hopping and tapping himself repeatedly on the head. Booth raised his eyebrows again._

_Lorne sighed and leaned over. He lowered his voice and whispered in his ear. "You remember when I said we didn't have music in my world? Wish I could say the same thing about the dancing," he admitted, pursing his lips and giving Numfar a disdainful look. Booth nodded slowly._

(v)

With a soft grunt and a start Booth woke up. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He groaned and placed his hand on his forehead. "O-Kay, that was weird." He sighed, turning his head he looked at the clock and got out of bed.

By the time he got dressed and drove over to Buffy's house it was already ten o'clock. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently. On the other side of the door he heard a little boy laugh. The door opened and he looked down and smiled as he stepped into the room. He scooped Parker into his arms, closed the door and walked into the living room. Faith and Buffy both smiled at him, Buffy walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Booth started and looked at her for a moment in shock. He wasn't expecting that. Then he smiled, a happy little curve of his lips that left Buffy blushing. He put Parker down took a step towards the blond Slayer and returned the favour, with interest.

Faith looked between Buffy and Booth and slowly raised an eyebrow. Yep, those two had it bad!

The chemistry between them was obvious, so when Buffy had come home last night she had been surprised. She was expecting the walk of shame, with Buffy coming in all ruffled and lipstick smudged early that morning. Instead it hadn't been late at all. She had been sitting on the couch, the TV blaring, the two little boys on either side of her, curled up and asleep.

Buffy had walked in, her hair only slightly mussed, a dazed happy smile on her face. Raising an eyebrow Faith had untangled herself from the two little boys and followed Buffy into the kitchen. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorjamb, watching the blonde Slayer drink a glass of water. "So?" she had asked quietly. "How'd it go?"

Buffy had glanced up at her, and then smiled dreamily.

Faith had laughed and shaken her head in exasperation. She could never understand Buffy at times like this. A long time ago she had told the blonde Slayer to "Want, Take, Have," it was a philosophy she still occasionally adhered to. She didn't see a point in denying herself something she wanted, but then Buffy always was more of a thinker then she was. She analysed everything, and took the opinions of others seriously. Faith couldn't give a hoot about what any of the Scoobies thought about her. The only other opinion she cared about was Robbie's, so she at least tried to be a bit more responsible, especially when he was around.

There were still a few things that she considered to be "Want, Take, Have" moments though, no matter how mature she had become these last couple of years! Smiling to herself Faith shook her head, getting her mind back on track.

She looked between Booth and Buffy again as the tall agent took a step back from the small Slayer. He glanced at her and smiled, bent down and picked up Parker again as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Has he had breakfast yet?" he asked them.

"No, not yet…I was just gonna…" Buffy began.

Booth smiled. "No need, how about we head down the block to one of the cafés and get some breakfast?" He smiled. "Would you like to come?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Buffy looked shocked and then she brightened with happiness, her whole face lighting up as she smiled. "I'd love to," she whispered.

Faith glanced between Buffy and Booth again and rolled her eyes. "Well, you two go ahead…I have some stuff to do around here." The corner of her mouth twitched in a smirk. "You crazy kids have fun." She grabbed Robbie's hand and pulled her son into the kitchen and away from the two lovebirds.

Buffy and Booth looked at each other, Booth smiled again and Buffy ducked her head. "I'll…go…get changed," she mumbled, blushing again as she suddenly realised she was still in the short-shorts and tank top that doubled as her PJs. Booth nodded as she turned and hurried from the room.

Booth raised his eyebrows and chuckled to himself. "I'll wait outside," he called loudly as Buffy ducked into her room. He shifted Parker in his arms, making the boy more comfortable before he turned and walked back outside the apartment, content to wait for Buffy outside in the hall while she got changed.

About fifteen minutes later the apartment door opened slowly, and a freshly showered Buffy walked out. She was wearing a light cream jacket over a pair of dark blue jeans and a black silk tank top. Her hair was brushed and up in a messy pony tail, while a little eyeliner and black mascara completed her look.

She smiled up at him, took a step forward and placed her hand on his arm. "Ready?" she enquired quirking an eyebrow.

Booth nodded his mouth suddenly unable to work. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He cleared his throat and turned around, leading the way out of the building and down the steps towards his car which was parked across the street.

They got in and Booth started up the big SUV. Buffy and Booth started chatting and smiling at each other while in the backseat Parker sat watching them, a happy little smile on his face.

It didn't take long for them to drive to the café and Booth quickly pulled into a vacant car bay. He turned off the car and got out, and helped Parker out of the backseat. Together the three of them walked across the car park and into the little café, the tantalising scent of roasted coffee and freshly backed muffins making their mouths water and their tummies rumble. Buffy stopped in the doorway, turned her face up and took a deep sniff.

"Ah…" she whispered. "Muffins." Booth turned around and flashed his trademark wiry grin.

They walked through the café and sat down at a little round table next to the large bay window. Parker bounced in his seat and started playing with the salt and pepper shakers. Booth smiled at his son as Buffy grinned at Booth. She loved watching him with Parker; he clearly adored the boy and would do anything for him. It made her realise just how good a father Angel could have been, and what Connor involuntarily missed out on.

It made her incredibly sad, realising everything that Connor had lost. By growing up in that hell dimension he had lost a father, and Angel had lost his son. Something that neither of them could recover from.

Angel had made the tough decision to alter Connor's memories, and this at least gave the boy some semblance of normality. Buffy had no doubt that without his new life Connor would have been driven so far into the darkness that he had no hope of coming back.

The new memories meant he had a chance to become something more, to have a life, to love. Meeting Dawn, getting to know her and falling in love was a blessing in disguise. Buffy knew they loved each other with everything they had; it reminded her of the love she and Angel used to have.

Before a demon ruined everything.

She shook her head and smiled at the little boy. He was so lucky.

A young waitress wandered over and she smiled pleasantly down at them. "What can I get you?" she asked politely as she pulled a notepad and pen out of the pocket.

Buffy looked down at the menu. "Um…" She chewed her lip as she considered the healthy vs. unhealthy options. "Just a cappuccino and a ham and cheese croissant please," she answered.

Booth considered the selections, looked up and smirked at the waitress as he ordered a large plate of eggs and bacon and black coffee. Parker bounced excitedly in his seat as he declared (at the top of his lungs) that he wanted blueberry pancakes, and lots and lots of syrup.

The waitress smiled at the boy indulgently. "Is your mom ok with that?" she glanced at Buffy.

Buffy and Booth both looked up at the waitress in surprise. Buffy's eyes widened "Oh, no…I-I'm not his mom," she spluttered as a blush stained her cheeks.

The waitressed eyes widened in horror and she muttered a quick apology, jotting down Parkers order and hurrying away.

Once she was out of earshot an uneasy silence fell over the table, Buffy didn't know what to say and she looked down in embarrassment as she twisted her hand in her lap. Booth glanced at Parker, noticed the little boy was looking at Buffy in concern and sighed softly. He reached across the table and placed him hand on Buffy's arm. The Slayer looked up and stared at him.

Booth smiled at her encouragingly. "Hey, it's ok."

Buffy nodded. "Sorry, I just…" She sighed and looked down again. She couldn't tell him that she would have liked to be Parker's mom; that having his child was still a wishful dream of hers. "…It just took me by surprise, that's all," she finished in a low voice.

Booth smiled and relaxed, this woman was something else. He was afraid she would have taken it harder, he had noticed the way she had been watching Parker, with a wishful little smile on her face. He wondered again why she didn't have any kids or a partner, she was young and gorgeous. What could possibly have happened to her?

Buffy noticed Booth looking at her, his dark soulful eyes full of concern and…something else, something she didn't want to think about at the moment. She took a deep breath and decided to change the subject. She asked him about the case he was working on, knowing that they hadn't arrested anyone yet. None of the Slayers had found out anything either, the vampires had gone to ground for the moment. But it was only a matter of time before they made another appearance.

Booth sighed, telling her they weren't getting anywhere fast. "Bones is going back to the warehouse this morning with the forensic team," he explained. "They're gonna look for more evidence, excavate some more, try to find something we missed the first time.." He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee that the waitress had just put down in front of him. "…It doesn't happen often, but this is Cleveland, not DC…" He shrugged again.

Buffy used her spoon to take the foam off her cappuccino. "Do you have any idea who did this?" she asked softly, trying to keep her voice neutral, and not sounding like she was pushing for information.

Booth shook his head. "This case is making absolutely no sense, nothing adds up, no motive, no suspects, even the cause of death isn't adding up." He sighed loudly in annoyance.

The waitress walked towards them, bringing their food. She set the plates down in front of them and they both fell silent as they started on their meals. Buffy ate her croissant slowly as Booth enthusiastically dug into his bacon and eggs.

Parker used a fork and plastic knife to eat his pancakes, somehow managing to get half the food in his mouth and the other half on the floor. But the little boy didn't even blink, content to just enjoy his breakfast as maple syrup dribbled down his chin and blueberries stained his pale blue t-shirt.

Buffy watched Booth eat, furtively casting glances at the tall FBI agent from under her lashes. She loved watching him eat. He ate quickly but neatly, chewing each mouthful carefully savouring every bite. She smiled to herself and took another bite of her ham and cheese croissant.

Booth was watching Buffy as well; he could see her reflection in the glass window and found that he couldn't take his eyes off her. She called to him, every part of him strained to touch her. It was crazy how she could affect him so much, normally he was pretty good at controlling his feelings, at hiding the emotions he felt. Even with Rebecca he had never felt like this, their love had been gradual. Taking years and he had never felt completely in its power.

But this little blonde was another matter entirely. In the space of a few days she had managed to weave herself into his life, and despite himself, he couldn't see his life without her. She consumed him, like a wildfire.

He didn't know what he would do when the case was closed and he and Bones went back to Washington. He didn't want to leave her, but he didn't know what to do. They weren't even dating for god's sake, they had one little date, made out in the car last night but he honestly didn't understand how she felt about him.

He suspected she at least felt something. Maybe he could ask Faith, as the dark haired woman was fast becoming a good friend.

Parker put his fork and plastic knife down on his plate and took a sip of his juice. He smacked his lips before he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had just finished, or at least the plate was empty. (Half the pancakes were on the floor)

"Daddy," he whined.

Booth glanced up, almost finished with his own breakfast and looked at his son. "Yeah buddy?" he asked and took another mouthful of bacon.

"I need to go toilet," he muttered softly and squirmed, wrinkling his nose.

Booth swallowed the last mouthful, chuckled softly, and put his knife and fork down. "Ok then." He reached out and took the boy's hand and helped him down from his seat. The tall agent stood up, glanced at Buffy and led Parker to the back of the café.

Buffy sat at the table, finished her cappuccino and waited for Parker and Booth to come back. The waitress came over to her, picked up the empty places and mugs and started cleaning the table. Buffy sighed and looked out the window, twirling a strand of hair around her finger absentmindedly.

A door opened and closed in the background and she heard a little boy shout happily. She turned around and smiled as Booth and Parker walked back over to her. "Hey." Booth smiled, opened his mouth and was about to ask her what she wanted to do now when his cell phone started to ring. He frowned briefly and quickly reached into his pocket. He pushed the talk button and pressed it to his ear. "Booth," he barked into the receiver.

He stood next to the table, looking out the window and watching the traffic flow past as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone. Parker still held his other hand as he shifted on his feet, quickly getting bored as Booth talked into his phone.

Buffy smiled at the little boy, stood up and offered her hand. Parker blinked in surprised and then smiled, letting go of Booth's hand and bouncing the few steps until he stood right in front of her. Buffy bent down and picked the little boy up, before turning her attention back to Booth. He was still talking into the phone.

"Ok…slow down, Bones." He paused and listened. "Are you sure?" He huffed. "I'm just asking if forensics could of…" He sighed. "I know you're the best, Bones." He smiled and chuckled softly.

Buffy tapped his shoulder and Booth glanced at her, she gestured to the counter and then the door and Booth nodded. They walked to the counter and Booth handed Buffy his wallet so she could pay for breakfast while he was on the phone.

In his ear Bones was talking again. "It's a ring, it looks old. There's a pattern on it that looks authentic, but some research is required. I was going to send a picture to Angela and see what she can make of it." She told him.

Booth sighed at that. "Ok, good you do that." He followed Buffy out of the café as she finished paying and stopped out on the sidewalk. "I'll meet you down at the police station and we can start working on this new lead ok?" He smiled as she agreed. "Great. Ok bye, see you in a few."

He hung up the phone and stuffed it back in his coat pocket. Then he turned and looked down at Buffy with a small smile. "That was Bones," he explained, "she's found something." His grin was infectious and Buffy found herself smiling in response.

"What did she find?" she asked curiously.

Booth shook his head dismissively. "I need to go take care of this, would you be able to look after Parker again?" he asked softly, suddenly nervous. He didn't want to tie her down with his son, again. He hated relying on others, even for small things like this. Under his breath he cursed Bec for not consulting him before she dropped him off.

Buffy smiled at his concerned tone and nodded. "Of course I can." She turned to Parker who was still in her arms and smiled at him. "You'll like that won't you, Parker?"

The little boy nodded. "I like you," he muttered.

Booth and Buffy both laughed as Buffy gently set the little boy down on the ground. She looked up to find Booth staring at her, his eyes darkening as a smile formed on his face. He took a step towards her and slowly placed his hand on her arm.

Buffy swallowed nervously as he inched forward, bending his head down and kissing her softly. The kiss was meant to be quick, and Booth pulled back pretty quickly, but Buffy had other ideas. She wrapped her arms around his neck holding him close and pulling him back for something more passionate. Booth smiled against her lips and deepened the kiss with a quiet moan.

Buffy sighed and pressed herself against his chest. Her whole body was tingling as he moved his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

"Daddy?" a quiet voice piped up from somewhere around her hip.

_Oh shit,_ Buffy thought as she and Booth pulled quickly away, identical guilty looks on their faces as they glanced down at the impressionable four year-old. Booth swallowed nervously and cleared his throat.

The little boy blinked and slowly looked between them. "What ya doing?" he asked quietly, his big, bright blue eyes were wide and curious.

Booth groaned softly and winced, while Buffy's eyes widened as she smiled in amusement.

"Now _that_, is something I'll explain when you're a little older, ok buddy?" Parker frowned sadly but nodded. Booth smiled and ruffled his hair before he glanced at Buffy out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" he asked again.

Buffy nodded. She wanted to kiss him again, but with Parker watching she didn't really think it was a good idea. They would get carried away again, and she really didn't want to be responsible for the little boy to start getting nightmares.

She smiled and placed her hand on Parkers shoulder. "We'll be fine." She waved her palm dismissively at him. "You go do… whatever it is you FBI guys do, we'll be having so much fun."

Parker nodded. "Games and movie and TV and food." Booth smirked at the little boy, bent down and kissed him on the forehead, stood up and winked at Buffy before he turned and headed towards his SUV.

Buffy sighed softly and looked down at Parker. "It's gonna be a long walk back. You want to get a drink first?" she asked him quietly as in the background Booth started the car.

The little boy nodded his head vigorously. "Juice!"

Buffy frowned. "Water is healthier."

"Juice!" he yelled excitedly.

She sighed softly. "Juice it is."

(v)

A half hour later Booth walked into the downtown Cleveland police station. He nodded politely to Lucy at the reception desk and walked down the hall to the elevator, waiting patiently as it descended to the old morgue. He walked into the cold, white room and found Bones with her back to him as she hovered over the evidence table.

He walked closer and smiled when she turned her head and saw him. She gestured down at the table where there were a number of different objects, a lot of jewellery, a pocket watch, some money and a few flip knives.

"We found all this when we excavated the warehouse the first time, remember we looked into it but couldn't find anything?"

Booth nodded. "The jewellery was pretty generic, no prints on the pocket watch or any of the money."

Bones nodded in agreement and then handed him a gold ring. "Adam found this just outside the warehouse, out the back… I'm surprised someone didn't pick it up before," she muttered.

Booth took the ring from her and turned it over in his fingers. It was a large ornate ring, which looked like it was from a university or fraternity. There was a crest pressed into the round face. He frowned. "Did you get Angela to look into it yet?"

Bones nodded and took the ring back. "The insignia is a symbol, used by Cleveland University for the Delta fraternity. They are one of the oldest fraternities in the state, and one of the few that still use the traditional membership rings."

She looked up at Booth and smiled. "Angela did some digging; the fraternity has a history of changing the design each year." She pointed to the very bottom of the ring, where there was a date in roman numerals. "The date changes and she said sometimes they use gemstones, or the ring is square. Anyway, she said it was easy to narrow it down to what year this was made."

Booth nodded, took the ring back and looked at the date. "1957?" he muttered.

Bones smirked. "I took the liberty of getting the records of everyone who graduated from Cleveland University in 1957, narrowed down all the men who were in the Delta fraternity and looked them up and asked if they were missing their ring."

"Well?"

Bones shook her head. "None of them have lost their ring, one man even said he kept his in a safe." She frowned and shrugged at that.

Booth scratched his head. "Well, that sucks."

Bones smiled again, reached for a manila folder on the corner of her desk and handed it to him. "Allan 'Duke' Delaney, died in 61' police report indicates cause of death from exsanguination, his throat was ripped apart."

"Ripped apart?" Booth sputtered as he flicked through the folder. His eyes widened as he came across the autopsy photos. "Shit," he snapped. "It looks like he has been mauled by a bear or a dog or something." He shook his head. "That's nasty!" He wrinkled his nose.

Bones nodded her head absently. "It's horrible, I ran some tests, no finger prints, no blood, nothing."

Booth frowned and scratched his chin. "So how did it end up here if it was buried with some dead dude forty-five odd years ago?" Suddenly his eyes widened as a thought occurred.

"Grave robbers?" he snapped in disbelief.

Bones eyes widened as she turned her head to him. "Oh," she whispered. She looked down at the ring and turned it around in her hand, it was free from dirt and any stains; it didn't look like it had been in the ground for all that time.

"Look at it though, things just aren't adding up." She sighed angrily.

Booth thought for a moment, then he snapped the folder shut and threw it back on the table. "Ok." He clapped his hands together. "This is gonna sound a little out there but just hear me out ok?" Bones nodded. Booth took a deep breath. "How about we go see if Mr Delaney's grave has been disturbed. You're right, things don't add up. If his grave looks like it has been dug up maybe we can actually start moving forward in this case."

Bones thought about that for a second and then she nodded. "That sounds like a reasonable idea." She turned away from the evidence table and walked across the tiled floor to the other side of the room.

On the desk there was an ancient computer and keyboard where she quickly started to look up the cemeteries in Cleveland. There were over ten large cemeteries and a few smaller ones on the outer fringes of the city, she quickly printed of the addresses and phone numbers and fished in her pocket for her mobile.

"If we start now we can get this done by the end of the day, rather then search through all the cemeteries we can just ask the office to look through their records and see if Allan Delaney is buried there." She quickly typed in the number for the first cemetery on the list, which happened to be Lake View Cemetery on Euclid Ave.

"Hello?" she asked into the receiver as it was picked up at the other end. "I'm Doctor Brennan of the Jeffersonian, I'm currently working for the FBI on a murder case." She paused and nodded. "Yes."

"I know, it's terrible, I just wanted to see if you have any records of an Allan Delaney, he died in 1961."

She waited a moment. "No, ok, thank you. Have a nice day."

Booth rolled his eyes as she disconnected the call and shook her head as she jotted down a few notes and started punching in the number for the second cemetery on the list.

(v)

A half hour later Booth and Bones were back on the road. Booth was at the wheel as they drove south to Parma that was just an hour's drive outside Cleveland. Allan 'Duke' Delaney was buried at the Zabor Funeral Home; quiet a large cemetery off Pearl Road, Parma.

Despite their timely investigating skills it was still last afternoon by the time they got to the graveyard. There had been a crash on the highway, blocking three lanes of traffic and causing chaos. It was a disaster.

When they arrived at the cemetery they were both bored, and more then ready to put the day behind them. Booth had managed to get through to Buffy though, so at least she knew they were going to be late.

Booth turned off the highway and drove down a wide, tree lined street until the cemetery came into view. He turned through the large, wrought iron gates and drove down the cobblestoned driveway until a quaint little church surrounded by maple trees and beautiful gardens came into view.

Beyond the little church Booth could see rows and rows of tombstones; large mausoleums broke up the monotony of the field. Pine trees and other deciduous trees were scattered here and there amongst the tombstones.

Booth pulled up outside the little church and pulled into one of the parking bays. He killed the engine and quickly got out of the dark SUV. They walked across the cobblestones, and up the low stone steps at the entrance of little church. Booth placed his hand on the door and pulled. The heavy oak doors creaked as it swung open. Booth smiled and gestured for Bones to enter first.

She did, stepping into the small church and looking around in wonder. It was a beautiful sight, stained class windows depicting religious scenes were set high into the walls. The dark maple wood of the pews was polished and shining, the stone floor gleamed.

At the other end of the church was the alter. A red velvet cloth was draped over across it, and a large golden chalice was sitting on the top. They walked down the centre aisle to the front of the chapel, the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the high arched window, creating patches of sunlight on the floor.

"Father?' he called loudly as he walked through the church.

Bones followed him, looking around her in curiosity. She wasn't a religious person, she didn't believe in anything unless she had solid evidential proof, but she knew her partner was deeply set in his catholic beliefs. And she couldn't deny the beauty of the place.

So she kept her mouth resolutely shut as a door at the back of the church slowly opened and an older man, perhaps in his late seventies peered out at them. Booth reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge and flashed it. The priest blinked in surprise, his mouth forming a small 'O' and he opened the door wider, he stepped out into the chapel and walked towards them.

"My name is Father Bryan. What can I do for you?" he asked politely as he clasped his hands in front of his chest, the large silver cross around his neck nestled securely between his palms.

Booth came forward. "I'm Agent Booth of the FBI; this is my partner, Dr Temperance Brennan. I would like to ask you a few questions."

Farther Bryan still looked a little shaken. "What about?" he asked quietly.

"Have you had any instances of grave robbery?" Bones asked straightforwardly.

Father Bryan blinked in surprised and Booth sighed in disappointment. "Can we talk?" he asked him again.

The priest nodded and indicated they should follow him as he turned around and walked back to the door at the back of the church. It opened up into a small hallway. On one side a little staircase led up to the choir loft, a few doors open to storage rooms, and a bathroom.

Father Bryan led them to the end of the hall and opened the last door, revealing a little study. Father Bryan moved around and sat on the other side of the large oak desk as Booth and Bones both took a seat on the side closer to the door.

"What do you mean grave robbers?" Father Bryan asked softly.

Bones took the ring out of her pocket and placed it on the table. She explained about Allan Delaney, and his ring.

Father Bryan turned to his ancient computer and hesitantly typed in Allan's details. The priest sighed softly. "He's in the back field, in the poorer area. It's a good ten minutes walk down the hill," the priest explained. "Do you want me to show you where it is?"

Booth shook his head. "Nah, we'll find it." He smiled. "Go home, get some rest, Father."

The old man chuckled ruefully and slowly got to his feet. "My bones have been aching lately, must be this weather."

Bones smiled in agreement. "It has been very erratic of late."

They all stood up and walked back into the chapel. Bones and Booth followed the priest as he ambled slowly out into the afternoon sun and waited patiently at the top of the steps as he locked the doors of the little church. He turned and blinked at the suns afternoon glare, holding up his hand and squinting.

He pointed down the hill. "Just follow that little path until to it comes to a crossroads and go left." He looked up at Booth. "Delaney's grave is near a crumbling Mausoleum, if memory serves."

Bones and Booth just nodded, thanking the aging priest as the old man moved slowly down the steps and over to his old, rust bucket of a car.

They waited until Father Bryan had gotten into his old mustang and drove away before Bones retrieved her forensics bag from the back of the SUV and they headed out into the cemetery.

By the time they started to walk down the hill the sun was starting to set, its warm ray's fading as it began to sink behind the horizon. It took Booth and Bones a bit longer to find the grave then it should have as they got a little lost.

By the time they found the grave it was already dark, and the bright silver moon shone low in the sky. The grass crunched under their feet as they walked across the lawn; an owl hooted softly in the trees above. The trees rustled softly from the wind as they stepped up to Allan's grave and stopped. Bones pulled her flashlight out of her bag and shone it over the grave as Booth looked down and knelt on the grass. "It doesn't look like it's been disturbed," he said.

Bones nodded. "The ground is still hard." She bent down and rubbed her hand over the tombstone, dislodging the dirt that had formed over the rough rocky surface. "Nobody has visited this grave in years," she said softly.

Booth frowned. "So how did his ring end up in the warehouse?" he muttered in confusion.

Before Bones could contemplate an answer there was a rustling behind them followed by a low animalistic growl. Booth reacted instantly, standing up and pulling his gun. He cocked it and pointed it right at the bushes. "Who's there!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as behind him Brennan got slowly to her feet looking around herself nervously.

"Come out with your hands up," he yelled.

The bushes rustled again and a man stepped out of the bushes, he was followed by two other men and a blonde female. Brennan shone her flashlight on him revealing a face that was hideously deformed, with body ridges on its forehead and bright golden eyes.

Booth's eyes widened in horror as the man let loose another loud snarl and lunged forward.

(v)

A few hours earlier

Buffy and Faith were watching Parker and Robbie as they played a game of Dungeons and Dragons when she unexpectedly got a call from Booth saying that he was stuck in traffic, that they had a lead and would be a bit late. She found herself getting a little worried, but quickly dismissed the idea. Booth was perfectly capable of looking after himself.

As it began to get late, and Booth and Bones were still out on the case she decided she might as well go for a patrol. She told Faith and then let herself out of the apartment.

The only thing she hated about Cleveland was that patrol was no longer a few hours. She had to drive to each cemetery, which took valuable time. The long tradition of patrolling the town on foot was long gone along with Sunnydale. Cleveland was too big a city. As she got into her car she called the current active squad leader and told her she would patrol the southern quarter.

By the time it was fully dark she had already been to one cemetery, taken care of a few demons, and dusted a nest of vamps hiding out in a crypt. She parked her car on the side of the highway and jumped the fence into the next cemetery. She was doing a normal sweep when suddenly she heard a loud bang, the sound of a gun being fired. Followed by an ear piercing howl of pain and an angry snarl of anger. She rushed forward and ran through the trees.

As she scrambled through the bushes, pushing branches out of her way and stumbled into a clearing. She stopped her eyes going wide. A flashlight was lying on the floor, illuminating the area. In the centre of the clearing a fight was underway, a man and a woman…fighting a group of about four vampires. The man punched one of the vamps in the face, causing it to stumble back and she caught a glimpse of the man's face. It was Booth.

She gasped in horror. "Booth!" she yelled desperately.

The agent's head whipped around and his eyes widened. "Buffy?" he shouted in disbelief. "Get out of here!" He turned his head back around, and elbowed the vampire that was holding him in the face. Then he raised his gun and fired two quick shots into the blonde female vampire that he had just punched.

The vampire looked down and snarled angrily as it swayed a little on its feet. "I hate getting shot." It shrieked at the top of its lungs as it lunged at Booth. "Do you know how much this blouse cost!"

The first vampire struggled to his feet and followed, snarling as he drove Booth into the ground.

Buffy wasted no time and quickly went to their aid. Knowing that while Booth was human he was still able to hold his own, she went straight to Dr. Brennan. The anthropologist was on the ground, being pinned by two male vampires; one of them held her arms behind her back as the other knelt over her, his mouth open as he leaned forward to bite her.

Buffy's eyes widened as she saw the glint of fangs as he racked his canines against the soft skin of the other woman's throat. Bones screamed in pain and Buffy swore. She pulled the stake out of her pocket, came up behind the vampire and plunged the stake into its back. The vampire immediately crumpled to dust. Bones eyes widened in disbelief.

Buffy grabbed Brennan by the shoulder, wrenched her out of the other vampires grip and threw her unceremoniously to the side. The vampire took a step back his yellow eyes wide with fear. He put his hands up in defeat. "Please don't kill me," he whispered as he took a hasty step back, his converse sneakers slipping underfoot. Buffy ignored him, lunged forward and quickly dusted him. She fanned the dust out of the way and turned around to help Booth.

As she rushed to the other side of the clearing Bones looked up from the floor, her eyes widened as she stared at the pile of dust at her feet. "This is impossible," she whispered under her breath.

Booth was lying on the ground, the female vampire was leaning over him and trying to bite him, her demonic yellow eyes flashing in anger, her chest was riddled with bullet holes and Buffy supposed she was still pissed that Booth had shot her, and ruined her shirt. The other vampire was sitting on the ground a few feet away, looking a little dazed and rubbing his bloody mouth were Booth had punched him.

Buffy rushed forward, grabbed the vampire that was pinning Booth to the ground and hauled her to her feet. She punched her, quickly following it up with a roundhouse kick that sent the blond vampire tumbling to the ground with a snarl of pain.

Behind her she heard Booth groan and try to get to her feet. Buffy narrowed her eyes at the vampire and pounced, straddling her chest and pinning her arms above her head. She leaned in close. "Nobody messes with my boyfriend," she hissed at the other blonde before she plunged her stake into its heart. The female vampire had a second to look up at her in disbelief before she crumpled to dust, and Buffy fell to a heap on the floor.

"Buffy!" Bones yelled at the top of her lungs, a warning.

Buffy looked up, and found the remaining vampire now back on his feet, and rushing towards her. She scrambled to her feet but slipped a little on the dust under her feet. The vampire grabbed her and pulled her to her feet, clutching her close and baring down on her, his sharp fangs glinting in the moonlight.

A few feet away Booth groaned again and looked up, his head clearing at Bones terrified shout, he looked around and saw Buffy in the grip of the vampire. "Buffy!" he yelled again. He grabbed his gun that was lying on the ground a few feet away, sat up on his knees and raised the weapon.

Then he fired once, a loud bang that echoed around the clearing. The vampire jerked as the bullet passed right through his skull and out the other side, missing Buffy by centimetres. He swayed on his feet, his eyes blinking in confusion.

Then he slowly turned a bullet whole visible in the middle of his forehead and glared at Booth. "What is your deal man!" he yelled in annoyance.

Booth lowered the gun as his mouth popped open in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes and shot the vampire in the heart. The vampire stumbled back but didn't fall. Booth still didn't understand, he shot the vampire again and again. "Why won't you die?" he shouted at the top of his lungs as the vampire continued to stumble back.

Buffy sighed, came up beside the vampire and using his current distraction quickly plunged the stake into his chest.

Booth blinked in shock, before slowly lowering his gun. On the other side of the clearing Bones got unsteadily to her feet and hobbled over, her eyes wide and scared.

Booth swallowed and looked down at the vampire dust. He frowned and took a step forward. He crouched down beside the pile and reached inside. Buffy wondered what he was doing when he grabbed a bullet from inside the pile of dust, palmed it and slowly stood. He opened his palm and looked down at the bullet that a few seconds ago had been buried deep inside the vampire's chest.

He looked up at Buffy and this time his eyes were hard. "What the hell is going on?" he snapped angrily.

Buffy sighed and looked between the angry agent and the scared anthropologist; both of them were looking shocked. Bones neck was still bleeding and Buffy could see she was shaking. She sighed softly and put a hand to her forehead. "How about we get out of here, and I can explain everything," she whispered softly, looking up at Booth and pleading with her eyes.

The tall agent set his jaw angrily, but nodded. He was still high on adrenaline and his whole body was humming. "Fine," he snapped. He pocketed the gun and turned to walk back to his SUV.

"But I want some answers," he growled over his shoulder as he started to stalk back up the hill.

Bones gave Buffy a long, calculating look and quickly followed her partner. Buffy sighed softly and reached into her pocket, she needed to make some calls. Someone needed to come and pick up her car, there was no way she was getting out of this anytime soon.

(v)

In the bushes, crouched low to the ground and keeping still so the Slayer wouldn't notice them, two vampires watched the fight with wide, disbelieving eyes. As the last vampire was dusted and the tall agent started to yell at the Slayer both vampires narrowed their eyes. Once the three of them had turned and started walking back up the hill, the male vampire, Allan 'Duke' Delaney, turned to his female companion and hissed. "Wasn't that Angelus?" he asked her quietly.

The female vampire, Nix, nodded slowly. "I remembered what he looked like, I was in LA when he was their six years ago, remember… when the sun was blocked out." She smiled. "Good times."

As the male vampire gave her a look she shrugged. "What? I'm not gonna pass up the chance of permanent midnight, do you know how hard it is to find good shoe stores that are open late enough down in Kansas?" She rolled her eyes again.

"Nix, you are an idiot," Duke snapped at her before he sighed and slowly got to his feet, his eyes watching the three companions as they finally walked out of sight. "I thought he was dust. There was a big showdown in LA and a dragon killed him."

Nix shrugged. "Maybe he got better?"

Duke rolled his eyes again. "He's human," Duke murmured softly.

"Yeah, so?"

Duke sighed again and gave her a look. "So? Are you seriously that thick?" He shook his head. "He's human, he probably has a family, and judging from his reaction back there, he's got no idea of what he once was."

Nix's eyes widened and she smiled in delight. "That other lady looked pretty friendly; he was trying to protect her."

Duke nodded thoughtfully. "Hum, maybe it's about time Angelus got what's coming to him."

Nix smiled evilly. "Oh, goody!" She giggled and clapped her hands together. "We get to kill the famous, Angelus." She jumped up and down.

Duke chuckled. "Who said anything about killin' him?" He quirked an eyebrow. "I was thinking more along the lines of getting him onto our side, my sire used to tell me stories of his greatness, of his bloodlust. We could use a vamp like him if we're gonna open the Hellmouth."

Nix paused and looked back up the hill, her expression thoughtful. "It would be a shame to kill something so fine," she whispered with a raise of her eyebrows.

Duke sighed again. He turned around and stalked back into the woods. "Come on," he snapped at the younger vampire. Who at barely two decades was not even half his age.

Nix quickly followed, jumping over a log and running up until she could walk beside him. "I can't wait to tell the others, oh, they are gonna be so jealous!" she giggled again.


	9. Chapter 9

...

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 9

Cleveland, Ohio USA

June 20th 2009

...

The silence inside the car was tangible as the black SUV sped through the night. Booth gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Meanwhile, Brennan stared silently out the window, her mind going a mile a minute as she struggled to make sense of what she had just seen. All her life she had approached life in the most logical way possible. She believed in science, facts, figures and maths; she believed in things she could see, smell and touch; things she could measure, analyse, and hold in the palm of her hand.

Now her entire world had been turned upside-down, she had seen Buffy, a tiny woman, throw a man twice her height and weight. Then, she had seen that very same man move with unnatural speed and come towards her, his face deformed, his teeth sharpened into points. She didn't know what to think, and that scared her. It was the first time in her life where her mind wasn't able to help her.

In the backseat Buffy slumped in her seat, her arms crossed protectively across her chest. Her eyes flickered between Booth and Dr. Brennan; she was worried. What they had just seen was enough to send anyone reeling, with the murder and mayhem they had to deal with on a daily basis, was it any wonder that they were unable to cope? She didn't think so.

The car slowed and Buffy shook her head, coming out of her musings. Booth parked and turned the ignition off, quickly getting out of the car. Buffy noticed he seemed agitated and bit her lip in concern as he shifted on his feet. Buffy got out and stood next to him as Dr. Brennan walked around the side of the car; she glanced up into his face once before leading the others inside.

Buffy walked right past Harmony, who perked up and gave them a little wave. She walked past the stairs and down the hall. On the ground floor was a large library, which they used for important meetings. Buffy knew the others would be in there, talking about and researching any demons the girls had encountered on their patrols. Taking a deep breath as she grabbed the handle, Buffy sighed and opened the door, stepping inside.

Everyone looked up as the three of them walked into the room. Giles stood up, noticing the look on Buffy's face. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern. "Is everything ok?"

"Booth and Brennan were following up a lead." Buffy explained. "I happened to be nearby….when they were attacked by vampires."

Giles and the others all gasped, staring at Booth and Brennan in shock. Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "I want to know what the hell happened out there," he snapped angrily.

Buffy sighed. "It was vamp-"

Booth raised a hand in the air quickly, cutting her off. "Don't say that. There are no such things as vampires," he said, desperately. "It was a trick of the light…"

"Booth," Bones said as she moved further into the room and sat down in a chair.

"What, Bones?" He turned to her angrily; they could all see that he was struggling. "You suddenly a believer now?" he asked angrily.

She looked up at him in confusion. "But you saw their faces, they're not human Booth!"

He shook his head stubbornly. "I don't know what I saw," he said shaking his head. "It can't be real."

"Why not?" Giles asked evenly, as he looked at the FBI Agent.

Booth glanced up and around at everyone in the room. "Because…they're." He sighed. "Aren't there enough horrible things in this world already? Now I find out there are vampires…"

"And demons," interrupted Spike.

Booth glared at him. "And demons." He sighed softly. "What hope does God have now?" he asked rhetorically.

"Booth…"

"Don't, Bones." He held up his hands, stopping her before she could say anything more. "I don't want to hear it. I have to believe in something, I have to believe that there is something else in this world besides death and murder. I'm not like you… I can't just file it under human nature and be done with it."

The room fell silent, Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was being so stubborn, it was ridiculous.

She put her arms on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at him. "I think you need some more convincing," she muttered, glancing at Spike.

The blonde vampire snorted and shook his head at her. "Come on Buffy!" he said in disbelief.

Buffy shot him a pointed look, causing Spike to sigh dramatically. Bones glanced at him. Returning her gaze he frowned, wondering what was going on.

Spike stepped forward, walking closer until he stood just a couple of meters from them. Booth's eyes narrowed. Buffy shifted on her feet nervously, wondering if she had made the right decision.

Spike blew out a deep sign and let his face shift. His brows turned bumpy as did the bridge of his nose, his eyes changing into a bright gold. When he opened his mouth to smirk at them they saw that his teeth were sharp and pointed. Reacting with instinct Booth took a step forward and punching Spike right in the nose before Brennan had time to even gasp.

"Oomph," Spike muttered as his head jerked back. "Now why did ya go and do that for?" he snapped as he raised a hand to his nose to see if it was broken. "I wasn't gonna do nothin'."

Booth continued to stare at the blonde vampire, his fists clenching together as he held perfectly still, every muscle in his body was tense as he kept himself from hitting Spike again.

At the same time, ignoring Booth's reaction Dr. Brennan got up from her seat and took a step forward to stand beside him. She took a step forward and slowly raised her hand, reaching out, watching Spike closely as she placed her hand gently on his forehead, fascinated. Spike blinked and raised an eyebrow as Booth narrowed his eyes angrily.

Bones blinked, suddenly realising what she was doing and snatched her hand away. "Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed, "I didn't mean…did…does it hurt?" she asked.

"Nope," he said with a grin as his face shifted back to human.

Finally, Booth reluctantly turned away from the vampire, satisfied that he wasn't going to do anything and looked at Buffy. "So…I guess it's all real," he said with a sigh.

Buffy nodded sadly. Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slowly. "Tell me..." he demanded, as he sat down on a chair and looked around at everyone expectantly. "…about the vampires and demons."

Buffy and Giles glanced at each other, a look passing between them. "Are you sure?" asked Buffy, knowing he had no idea what he was getting himself into. "It's not pretty."

"We can handle it," he said, as Bones nodded her head in agreement.

(v)

In the end, it was Giles who explained about the supernatural to the fascinated anthropologist, and the increasingly sceptical FBI Agent. Booth's heart sank with every new book that was opened and passed to him. He struggled to make sense of the words and pictures that adorned the pages.

Brennan however, was fascinated, listening in intently and even asking Giles questions. She wanted to know the creature's habitats and behaviour, their hunting patterns and even their reproductive habits, causing Booth to roll his eyes.

Finally he sighed and ran a hand over his face desperately. "How do you know all this?" he asked tiredly.

Giles paused, but it was Buffy who answered. "Because I'm The Slayer," she said.

Both of them blinked. "Who?" asked Brennan.

Booth's eyebrows knitted together. "The band?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "No, the Chosen One."

Giles cleared his throat and slowly recited the Prophecy of the Slayer, _"__Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer."_

Booth raised his eyebrows. "One girl in all the world?"

"Well, not any more," Buffy admitted, "Willow did a spell and fixed that little detail, but yeah, for the last couple of thousand years it has been."

"And you are this Slayer?" Brennan confirmed.

"Yep, and Faith too," Buffy added.

"But you're so tiny," Bones muttered, "Don't you think she's little," she hissed to Booth softly, unaware that Buffy and the other supernatural being's in the room could hear everything she said.

Spike snorted, and the corner of Buffy's mouth twitched in amusement. Willow and Xander both laughed as Booth frowned at his partner.

At that moment the door opened and Faith sauntered inside, leading Robbie and Parker in with her. The smile on her face fell as she noticed everyone in the room, she faltered. "Ok, what's going on?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"Daddy!" Parker let go of Faith's hand and raced forward, opening his arms. Booth smiled and scooped the boy up, giving him a tight hug.

He turned his head slowly and looked Buffy straight in the eye. "I think I need to think about this a little more," he told her softly before he turned abruptly and walked out of the room. Bones looked around the room and then followed him.

As the door clicked shut behind them Spike raised an eyebrow. "He took that better then I expected," he said as he rubbed him nose, "at least he didn't try to stake me."

Faith put her hands on hips and rounded on the others. "Ok" she snapped, "what's the snitch?"

(v)

On the other side of town Duke and Nix entered the old abandoned mausoleum that was currently their hideout. As they descended the stairs to the tunnels underneath ten other vampires all looked up. The few humans in the nest were either dead, unconscious, or too scared to look up.

In the center of the room, on the floor was the Seal of Danzalthar. The entrance to the Hellmouth.

Some of the vampires were feeding, while others were sprawled on the few available couches watching the black and white TV in the corner. Two of them were playing a game of poker at the small fold-out table.

One of the other vampires crossed his arms over his chest and growled at them as they walked inside. "Where have you two been?" he asked.

Nix smirked and skipped over, sliding up towards the other vampire and wrapping her arms around his waist, and pressed herself wantonly against him. "We just found out something juicy," she whispered in his ear.

The other vampire raised an eyebrow and looked up at Duke. They were as close as two vampires could be, with more then three decades hunting together, drinking booze, hanging out and torturing countless victims.

"Hey, Steve." Duke raised his hand to acknowledge his friend. "What's up, dude?"

"Going great until I found out you to were plotting without me," he growled.

Duke rolled his eyes. "Relax dude, it's sweet, just a bit of Intel on Angelus,"

A female vampire who had been lounging on the couch perked up, raising her head she pushed the human male away from her and letting her face shift back to human as she stood up and re-buttoned her shirt. "Did you say Angelus?" she asked curiously, "I haven't seen him in centuries. What's he been up too?"

Nix smiled. "Human," she chuckled slowly.

The female vampire blinked slowly and frowned. "What?"

Nix nodded. "Yeah…" she looked over at Duke. "We were thinking he could join the ranks again. He'll be good to have on our side!"

Duke smirked. "He surely would, I remember the stories my sire used to tell of his exports, he's prowess is legendary, he's one of the most feared vampires in existence, I'm thinking he'll enjoy what we have to offer."

Nix and the other female vampire both laughed. "I'll enjoy what he has to offer as well," Nix purred with a cheeky grin.

Duke ignored the female vampires. Turning around and walking further into the lair. He headed towards the back of the room, where a couple of humans were chained to the wall, a closed door next to them.. He smiled as he placed his hand on top of the girl's head and ran a hand through her hair. Suddenly he grabbed her around the neck and pulled her to her feet, baring his fangs he growled and lunged forward, sinking his fangs deep into the smooth skin of her neck. He drank deep, draining her quickly of her blood and life.

When she was dead he dropped her unceremoniously to the floor, licking his lips slowly. He turned away from the body, walking back towards the vampires. He wrapped an arm around the female vampire's waist and pulled her against his side. "When we open the Hellmouth we are gonna lay waste to this town! The humans will tremble at our feet!"

"Gonna be piss easy!" another vampire said as he sprawled on the couch.

Duke narrowed his eyes. "No, it isn't you fool. The quicker you get that through your think skull the longer you will live. We need to be vigilant, the Slayers are always watching."

Nix nodded her head. "Buffy was there tonight, with Angelus and the other woman."

The other female bit her lip. "Do you think she knows what we are up to?"

Duke shook his head. "Not a chance. Doesn't mean you can go sprouting your mouths at every new vamp that comes to town. We need this to work. We need the Hellmouth to open; we will revel in the glory and destruction it will cause! Demons and vampires will kneel at our feet, and we will rule."

"The Slayers won't know what hit them," another vampire said in a low voice.

Nix smiled. "They will die, and Angelus will be there to see it happen." She turned her head and looked at Duke again. "We do have a plan for that, don't we?"

Duke nodded. "Oh we have a plan all right, a good plan."

(v)

Vorkuta, Northern Russia

Late afternoon, June 20th 2009

Connor cursed angrily as he looked up at the clock for the millionth time and found that the hands had not moved as far as he thought they had. They had been waiting at the airport for what felt like forever, a snow storm the last two days, and an overbooking on the morning flight had meant they still hadn't left Russia. He was getting impatient, Dawn was getting worried and Hannah was restless, it wasn't good for a Slayer to stay in one spot for two long, and they had been waiting an awfully long time.

The nest of Thesulac demon had been harder to kill than he thought. The paranoia demons had weaved their way into his thoughts, making it almost impossible to fight the seductive, suggestive words. It took all of his willpower not to turn his sword upon himself, or the women fighting at his side.

He remembered the stories Angel had told him about the Hyperion Hotel, how a Thesulac had been responsible for a rash of murders and suicides during the early to mid 1900's, finally coming to a head when a mob, fuelled by the demon's influence had hanged Angel in the lobby in 1952.

As a result the demon had manifested, feasting on the terror and pain in the hotel.

A spate of murders and suicides had drawn the nest of Thesulac demons to the town. The longer the demons were left unchecked, and their influence seeped into the hearts and minds of the people around them, more and more started to die. Fights started getting out of control. People were unable to control their emotions; normal everyday occurrences were heightened and twisted.

There had been five suicides in the last month alone.

The demons were feasting; they grew plump and greedy, taking on their physical form, making them possible to kill.

There were three of them against seven Thesulac demons. It was tough, there were a few moments during the fight when Connor thought he would lose his head, even more times when he struggled to keep the demon's thoughts_ out_ of his head. He couldn't afford to think about anything other then killing the demons.

It had been Dawn who provided the catalyst. Making sure they all wore rubber-soled shoes into the warehouse she had provided a lighting show. With a basic spell and a crystal ball she managed to create a sphere of crackling energy, killing the demons as they screamed and howled inside their prison of lightning.

Finally, the demons were dead; the acrid stench of burning flesh hung in the air, the entire warehouse was covered in blood and gore. He had looked around, whipping a hand across his cheek and leaving a bloody mark.

The girls had made small cries of dismay as they had looked down and inspected their ruined clothes. It was going to take a lot of scrubbing to get their clothes back into a more presentable state.

Connor shook his head, bringing himself out of his musings and turned his head to look at his wife. Dawn was sitting beside him, reading a book as they waited. A couple of seats away, Hannah was curled up, her head on her arms as she dozed.

"I can't take much more of this," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

(v)

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

June 20th 2009

"Daddy, are you ok?" Parker asked as Booth tucked him into bed. Booth smiled and kissed him on the forehead as he pulled the blankets up around his chin. "I'm fine buddy, just a lot of things to think about tonight."

Parker bit his lip worriedly and Booth chuckled, smoothing out his mop of sandy hair before standing up and walking out of the room. "It's ok, Daddy can deal with anything, just go to sleep ok."

Parker nodded, rolling over and making himself more comfortable before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Booth smiled to himself, closed the bedroom door behind him and walked into the main room of the hotel room. Bones was sitting on the small couch watching the TV but she looked up when he walked into the room.

He sat down next to her, leaning back against the couch and letting out a sigh. They were silent for a few seconds. "So, demons, huh?" he muttered running a hand through his hair. "I did not see that coming."

Bones nodded. "I never would have suspected, but it makes a certain kind of sense."

"Sense?" He made a face. "It makes no sense whatsoever; I'm trying to wrap my head around this."

The anthropologist rolled her eyes at him. "Think about it, Booth, throughout history there have been abnormalities in technology, in art and culture, the Mayan temples, the lost city of Atlantis, Stonehenge…the ancient rock carvings of Lascaux Cave in France. An archaeologist colleague of mine said there were 'animals' depicted in the paintings that history had no record of. Even the Egyptian hieroglyphics showed gods with jackal and cat heads. What if they were demons?" She looked at him intently. "Every culture has its myth and legends, dragons, monsters and other creatures…there is a basis of fact under every story…what if this fact is more prominent then we've ever realised. What if these abnormalities aren't the result of extra-terrestrials like many historians…."

"Aliens? Great! That's all we need," Booth interrupted harshly.

Bones managed a small smile and continued. "What if they were intra-terrestrial's. From _within_ this world? Below the ground, not from space?"

Booth sighed loudly. "Whatever happened to the world being simple?" he muttered to himself.

"You are really struggling with this aren't you?" she said softly. "Why can't you believe, you saw their faces…"

"Because…" he sighed, "I was hoping that all I had to worry about was terrorists and murderers, not vampires and demons…now I find out there is a whole other world out there that I had no idea about."

He shook his head sadly. "How did you think I'll feel? How can I keep Parker safe now? I don't know how to fight vampires, or demons. I don't have super strength or speed." He looked down and chuckled humourlessly. "What hope do I have of helping people now?"

Bones frowned sadly at him as she reached out and awkwardly patted his arm. "It will be ok, Booth, you're a fantastic dad. …" She licked her lips. "Don't think about the people you could have saved, think about the people you can save from this point forward. Think of how many more people you will be able to help now."

"How many of our unsolved cases do you think was the work of demons instead of humans?" he asked sadly.

Brennan fell silent. "I don't know," she said sadly. "Do you think we should ask Miss Summers what the percentage ratio of humans to demons is?" she asked.

Booth blinked slowly. "Yeah," he said sadly.

(v)

The next day Booth left Parker with Faith and after dropping Bones off at the Lab, returned to the Council building. He met Buffy in the lobby, stopped and looked at her for a second before quickly closing the distance between then. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Shocked, she stood still for a moment before she smiled against his mouth and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and returning the hug. Slowly they pulled away, their touch lingering briefly before Booth took a step back and cleared his throat. Every time he saw her she got more and more beautiful, today she was wearing a pale blue t-shirt and a pair of stretchy khaki pants.

"Are you ok?" Buffy asked him quickly.

He nodded, looking Buffy in the eye. "I'm fine. But I need to know…"

Buffy bit her lip, searching his eyes. She could see the conflict raging within him. He had questions, and he wanted answers. She could see that, she was expecting that. Beckoning to him she led him down the hall to the library and opened the door. He walked inside and she followed. They sat down facing each other, their knees almost touching.

"Need to know what?" Buffy asked, now that they were comfortable.

"I need to know how to kill them," he said to her as he leaned back in the chair and relaxed. "I can't ignore the vampires and demons now that I know they exist. I can't leave them to roam the streets and kill innocent people."

She shook her head. "You're not strong enough," she said.

"Excuse me?" His voice was rough.

Buffy sighed. "We told you vampires and demons were strong, a lot stronger then humans."

He frowned, offended. "I'm strong, I know how to fight and I _want_ to fight. I'm doing this whether you want to help or not, but I would appreciate some tips on how to kill them. Are their hearts even in the right place?"

Buffy fell silent, watching him intently. His dark eyes were unwavering as he looked at her; she could see the resolution in his eyes, the determined set of his broad shoulders and knew he wouldn't back down. He was as stubborn as she was.

If she didn't help and show him the best way to stake a vampire and behead a demon it might not be enough. He might not win, and she couldn't handle that.

She couldn't handle loosing him again, not when she had finally found him again after all these years.

"Ok," she said, "I'll teach you."

He gave a wiry grin and looked around the room. "No rest for the wicked."

"What, now?" she asked.

Booth smirked and nodded. "Why not?"

A wicked smile curved her lips. "Well alrighty then," she said, getting up and heading for the door. "Follow me."

With a raised eyebrow Booth followed Buffy out the door and down the hallway, heading deeper into the bowels of the old building. Eventually she stopped at a sturdy wooden door with the words _Training Room_ embossed on a shiny silver plaque.

She pushed open the door and turned on a light, revealing a large square room. The entire floor was covered with thick, blue gym mats. A mirror ran along one wall, while the other side was filled with hooks containing weapons, ropes and other equipment. Towards the end of the room a row of boxing bags hung from the ceiling.

"Wow," Booth breathed as he looked around in awe, "this is incredible."

Buffy beamed. "You like it? This is where we train the girls. There are two other rooms exactly the same as this one, further down the hall."

His eyes widened. "Two more rooms, shit, what the hell do you need all that for?" he asked.

Buffy smiled. "There's a lot of Slayers that need training; that's what I do. Across the road is where we have the classes, and boarding rooms. But we didn't want the weapons or the training rooms in plain view of the education board when they come and visit every year for their inspections."

Booth nodded. "Yeah, I get that," he said.

"So, let's start." She smiled and walked to the center of the room and shrugged of her jacket. Booth watched as she folded it and put it to the side, pulling off her boots and socks. She raised her arms above her head and moved her legs apart. She started to stretch and loosen her muscles.

Booth's eyes followed her movements. He held his breath as she stretched her legs and bent forward, touching her toes. He swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced away. Slowly he removed his tie, jacket and shoes. Unclipped his gun holster and placed it on top of his pile of clothes; finally he unbuttoned his white dress shirt and pulled it off as well.

Buffy has stretched and was now watching him, an eyebrow rising as he folded his shirt and put it down on the mat. "What? I don't want it to get sweaty," he said defensively.

Buffy made a show of looking him up and down, her eyes resting on his chest. "No complaints here," she assured him, causing Booth to laugh.

They walked towards each other, stopping a couple of meters apart. Booth started to stretch as Buffy watched. "Ok," said Buffy, "I want to show you some fighting techniques. How much unarmed combat do you know?"

"Quiet a bit," he said, "but nothing to fancy. The military are more focused on silence, speed and efficiency. Not flair."

Buffy nodded. "Well I want to show you a few other moves, some you might not be familiar with"

"Like what?" he asked.

She smiled. "Aikido and Kendo, a style of Japanese martial arts. Maybe even a little Mau rākau. You should learn some close-quarter weapons as well. Guns aren't gonna cut it all the time."

He blinked in surprise, impressed with her knowledge of fighting techniques. "So I can't use my gun at all against demons or vampires?" he asked, raising his arms above his head and pulling his elbow back.

Buffy shrugged. "Well bullets don't work on vampires, you know that. They will work on most demons."

Booth scratched his chin. "What about wooden bullets?" he asked.

"I don't know, I've never tried it. I hate guns," she said as he finished his stretches.

Booth nodded slowly. "I have a contact; he used to be in the military with me. He makes bullets and custom firearms now. I might have to give him a call and ask him."

"Don't tell him about the vampires," Buffy said as they slowly circled each other, preparing to start.

Booth snorted in amusement. "Of course not, he'd think I'm crazy."

Buffy nodded at that. Both of them fell into a companionable silence as they started to spar. She started with the easy stuff, punches and kicks, wanting to know just how good Booth was.

She was surprised at how strong he was for a human, and impressed at his fighting skills. The techniques he knew were limited to only a dozen or so kicks, punches and holds, but his knowledge of those few techniques rivaled her own.

He barely ducked a punch she threw at his face, the air displacing above him and causing his hair to ruffle. She pulled back with a smile and stepped away, letting him stand up. "Damn, your fast," he muttered.

Buffy grinned. "All part of the Slayer gig."

"Still hard to believe that such strength could be in such a little body."

"Hey," she muttered, a look of false hurt on her face.

Hearing the teasing in her voice he smiled. He loved it when she joked around.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward again. Despite her frequently voicing her admission for him to _not hold back_ he was reluctant, even with the knowledge that she was stronger then he was. It was hard for him to hit her. Every time his fist connected with her shoulder, or stomach he winced, thinking it had hurt her. Only when he had failed to block one of her own punches and her hard little fist had slammed into his ribs, winding him that he realized that she was right. She was born for this, she was quick and strong. And if he wanted to fight the things that roamed the night he was going to have to pick up his game.

He was used to fighting humans; the murderers and drug dealers were a walk in the park compared to the creatures she faced on a daily basis. He wanted to be able to do what she did, he wanted to be able to stand by her side and hold his own, to protect_ her_ from those creatures, not the other way around.

They moved around each other, throwing punches and kicks, blocking the ones that came there way. It was a dance, both of them so in-tuned with the other that they were now predicting each others movements and blocking each other's attacks easily. Booth felt a smile forming on his face and he looked over at the small women facing him. She was a burst of energy, moving fast, her mouth slightly open as she sucked in a deep breath, her hazel eyes bright and watchful.

Suddenly she shifted her weight back and her foot came up, catching him in the stomach. With a soft "oomph" he fell to the floor. Blinking dazedly as he stared up at the ceiling.

Buffy gasped. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry," she murmured, embarrassed as she hurried over and tried to help him to his feet. But the fall to the floor has knocked his head, and he was unsteady on his feet. He wobbled and overbalanced, falling forward. Strong as she was Buffy couldn't fight against gravity and his larger weight and they both fell to a heap on the floor, arms and legs entangled as he laid half on top of her.

Booth groaned softly. "Sorry."

On her back on the blue mats, she could feel Booth lying on top of her. She could feel his heart beating in his chest against her own. She took a deep breath, trying to control the raging hormones that were threatening to pull her down.

Booth shifted and placed his palms on the floor, pushing himself up. He looked down into her eyes, their noses only inches apart.

She looked up into his dark eyes, holding her breath as he stared down at her. His eyes darkened, he leaned down, his breath shallow against the cheek as he kissed her softly. Buffy smiled and let her eyes close, moving her arms up to wrap around his neck and held him close.

He deepened the kiss, their tongues moving together as their breathing intensified, their chests heaving as desire filled their bodies. He shifted against her, his body pressing even closer to hers. Buffy shifted her hips slightly, causing her thigh to brush the front of his pants, his arousal obvious.

Moaning quietly he pulled back. She whimpered a protest that stilled in her throat as his lips trailed down her neck. Her breath hitched in his throat as they stilled at the hollow of her throat, finding the old scar that married her otherwise perfect flesh and kissing it slowly. She gasped as his lips fluttered against her flesh, moving back up her throat and finding her lips again.

As they continued to kiss Buffy was content to run her hands up and down his back, loving the feel of his hard muscles under her hands. She placed her hands on his hips the waistband of his dark pants under her hands. Unconsciously she moved her thighs further apart so he could settle himself between them. He moaned under his breath, moving his hips forward in a small thrust that pressed their bodies closer together.

They would never know if their actions would have progressed further, because at that moment they were interrupted by a loud cough.

Buffy squeaked in surprise, placed her hands on Booth's shoulders and shoved. He gave a surprised grunt and tumbled to the side. Buffy looked towards the door with an embarrassed look on her face as Booth lifted his head and glared.

Spike stood in the doorway, his face a smooth mask. Behind him Illyria stood with her head tilted curiously to the side.

Booth and Buffy scrambled to their feet, not looking at each other as they quickly went to the opposite corners of the mat and pulled on their discarded clothing.

"We're not interrupting anything are we, luv?" Spike asked Buffy, his voice low.

Buffy glanced up at him, the wounded look was gone in a second but she still saw it and sighed softly. The relationship between her and Spike had been over for years, she knew Spike had moved on. But every now and then she would see a look in his eyes, a look that spoke of regret.

He was looking at her intently, eyebrow raised as he waited. She shook her head. "No, nothing."

Spike snorted. "Yeah right, sure looked like nothing to me," he said, "What with the kissing and the grope-age."

"Maybe if you hadn't been lurking…" Booth muttered under his breath.

Spike and Buffy looked over at him. Spike snorted in amusement, ten years earlier and it would have been Booth that was the one lurking in the shadows.

As Booth and Buffy finished pulling on their shoes Illyria stepped forward, moving past Spike and into the room. Booth froze as she came into view. Her blue hair and crystal-like eyes were strange enough, but paired with the red leather suit, it creating an otherworldly picture. His eyes widened and he looked her over slowly, a frown marring his brow.

"What are you?" he asked suddenly, his new perspective on life making him wonder if this 'woman' was really human at all.

Illyria turned her head slowly and looked him right in the eye. "You are even lower then you were before, have you no pride, fragile human?"

Booth's eyebrows rose. "Ok," he said slowly, "I'm gonna take a stab and say you aren't human."

Illyria's eyes narrowed in anger. "I am Illyria, God King of the Primordium!" she said as she took a menacing step forward. Spike quickly grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Don't even think about it, Blue," he said softly.

Illyria relaxed looking Booth over carefully. Her ethereal blue eyes unblinking as she stared at him impassively. Booth shifted on his feet, his eyes narrowing slightly as he started to tense, readying himself for anything.

Buffy cleared her throat. "Illyria is an Old One, one of the original demons."

"My power is merely an echo of what it once was. Before ,whole continents trembled when my temper was tested. Now, this shell holds barely enough to keep me functioning."

Booth's frown increased. "Shell?" he asked quietly.

"This is not my true form, human. My true form would have squashed you like a bug." She looked down at herself. "No, this form was once someone else, now it is mine."

Booth's mouth opened in shock. _Holy shit_, he thought. This demon was dangerous. She had destroyed someone's soul, and then taken their body.

He turned to Buffy and stared at her. "What type of people do you have working here?" he asked harshly, wondering what else was going on here. "Is this the type of stuff that goes on in this company?"

Buffy shook her head. "Illyria is strong, and she has helped us more times than we can ever repay her."

"I did not choose this existence human," Illyria said suddenly. "I was summoned by an ancient and powerful device. Once my tomb was opened I did not have a choice. Yes, I took this shell, but she was doomed from the start. I was not prepared to die in the process as well."

Booth looked at her. "That clown isn't a clown either is he? He's a demon as well."

Buffy nodded. "Lorne's harmless, I told you there are good and neutral demons out there. Most of who just want to go about their business peacefully. Not all of them are into the killing and world in peril stuff."

He set his jaw and turned away. "And what about you?" he asked Spike, "you gonna tell me you're a good vampire?"

"I am," the blonde vampire said.

Booth raised an eyebrow. "And, what, you just suddenly woke up one morning and thought 'Ok, now I'm good!"

Spike glared at him angrily, taking a step forward, getting right into his face. "No, as a matter of fact I spent years working on the side of good, doing my bit. Even got a bloody government chip in my head, before I got this soul." He sneered at Booth's shocked look. "Yeah, that's right. I got a soul, just like you."

"Vampires don't have souls though, do they?" he asked Buffy softly.

Buffy shook her head. "No, they don't." She looked at Spike slowly. "Spike's the only one."

Spike froze. "Now I am, yeah," he said softly.

Booth frowned again. "So….what made you get a soul. That's not something a vampire would just do, is it?"

Spike swallowed, glancing at Buffy quickly before looking away. "I did something inexcusable, and realized that I had to do something. I couldn't go on the way I was."

"So, you got a soul?" Booth confirmed.

He nodded. "I did, I asked for it, and after proving I could hack it, a demon gave me my soul back." He looked Booth in the eye. "I haven't looked back; this is me now, body and soul. I may be a vampire, but I do my part."

Booth fell silent, watching Spike slowly. Finally he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Any other stupid questions?" he asked with a sneer.

Booth smirked. "Yeah, what's with the hair?"

(v)

"And he took it pretty well, I mean sure it was a bit of a shock finding out Spike had a soul, but at least he didn't reach for a stake."

Faith laughed at Buffy's tale. "I can imagine, with the history between those two I'm surprised Spike didn't do anything, especially when he walked in on you guys kissing."

"I am too," Buffy admitted settling down onto the couch beside Faith. "But he's finally moved on. He doesn't feel that way about me anymore."

"If you ask me, I recon something it going on between him and Illyria." Faith said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"What? No," scoffed Buffy, shaking her head. "No, way."

Faith nodded her head. "Yeah, totally, Buffy."

Buffy blinked in shocked, thinking about that for a few minutes. "Ok, have I been living under a rock these last couple of years?" she asked. "I did not see that coming at all."

Faith snorted in amusement. "A big one," she agreed.

"Ugh," Buffy groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I can't deal with that, too weird."

Faith shrugged. "Illyria's an immortal God King, Spike's a vampire. They'll get along fine. To be honest, I'm surprised it took them this long."

Buffy huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Illyria's dangerous and unpredictable, I hope Spike knows what he's doing."

"Unlikely," Faith said. "You ever know him to think things through. My guess is he's just looking for a good fuck."

"Faith!" snapped Buffy. "I really didn't need to hear that."

Faith shrugged "What? It's true. I don't see Illyria settling down and playing happy families do you?" She paused and then frowned. "Ok, now I do and it's really disturbing."

Buffy laughed quietly. "Serves you right."

Faith frowned and punched Buffy lightly on the arm. They both fell silent, turning their heads and watching the TV for a few moments. "So what are you doing tonight?" Faith asked quietly.

Buffy turned her attention away from the TV and smiled. "Booth and I are going on patrol, he wants to see what I do, and I thought it'll be better if he was with me, rather then wandering around by himself."

"He can handle himself," Faith said.

"Oh, I know," Buffy said, "But he can't fight like he used to, and he's human." She paused and a small smile formed on her face. "I don't think I'm ever gonna get tired of saying that."

"Do you ever just miss Angel though? Do you wish Booth could remember who he was before?"

Buffy looked down. "Sometimes," she admitted, "I don't want to sound horrible, or that I don't love Booth, because I do. God, Faith I love him so much. It's scary how he can come into my life again and I fall for him every single time."

She took a deep breath. "But sometimes yeah, Angel and I knew each other so well, we were both in _this_ fight. Booth can't, and he shouldn't."

Faith nodded. "Well, he's in the thick of it now, and you know how stubborn he can be. He's not gonna stand back and not help, not now that he knows what's out there."

"I know," Buffy said with a sigh, "That's what worries me."

(v)

Later that night

Buffy and Booth walked slowly through the cemetery. Buffy had a stake in her hand and a small knife stuffed in the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. Booth had a stake, and his gun, which Buffy was less then pleased about. The whole point was that they had to be stealthy; guns were loud, obnoxious and pin-pointed your location. It was an added factor they didn't need.

Booth was silent; he had impressed her at how easily he moved in the darkness, completely at ease as he moved silently through the woods and across the grass. He was alert and watchful, a warm body by her side.

They walked towards the new graves, and settled down to wait. Buffy leaned against a tombstone while Booth stood in front of her. "Now we just sit and wait," she pointed to the newly disturbed soil a couple of meters away. "A vampire can rise from anywhere between sunset and midnight, so we could be here a while yet."

Booth shook his head. "You act so calm; I keep forgetting that this is the norm for you."

"Yeah, that's me," she said with a sigh, "Little Miss Likes-To-Hang-Out-In-Cemetery's."

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked after a slight pause. "I thought you liked being a Slayer."

"I do, but when you've been doing something since you were fifteen, it can get a little old."

"Fifteen," he interrupted, his voice betraying his shock. "You've been a slayer since you were fifteen? Why didn't you mention that before?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I've been a slayer for so long it's what I do, I'm used to it."

He frowned. "But fifteen, shit. That's crazy. Do all Slayers start out that young?"

"Anywhere from fourteen to eighteen is about the norm. Giles said the youngest Slayer called was only twelve, but that was during the Crusades. Once you reach the age of eighteen it seems to pass on."

Booth frowned. "Why is it always girls?"

Buffy smiled. "Just better I think," she said with a mischievous smile.

Booth laughed. Buffy smiled, she loved making him laugh.

Suddenly the ground under the newly dug grave behind Booth moved, pushing slowly upwards. Buffy froze, her eyes focusing on the area behind the agent. Booth fell silent, and slowly turned his head around to see what she was looking at. His eyes widening as he noticed the soil moving.

Buffy tapped his shoulder. "This is it. Get behind the grave and wait until his torso is free. Be careful, he'll be disorientated, but he's strong and fast. You need to take him by surprise."

Booth nodded, his hand finding a better grip on the stake as he turned away and walked behind the headstone. The newly risen vampire was still struggling underneath the dirt.

Unexpectedly earth exploded from the ground and a hand pushed itself out of the soil, scrabbling for purchase on the loose sand. Another hand appeared, followed quickly by the top of a head. The face was hideous, the eyes golden as it pushed its head out of the dirt and looked around. Its eyes settling hungrily on Buffy as its mouth fell open in a loud growl.

It pushed its body out of the hole, flopping onto the ground and scrabbling to get up. Booth darted out from behind the headstone; the stake held firmly is his grasp. Before the vampire even had time to turn its head he was upon it, grabbing it by the shoulders and turning it over, pushing it to the ground. He sat on it chest, quickly bringing the stake down with all his strength.

The stake went right through its chest, puncturing its heart. The vampire let out an annoyed growl before it dusted. Booth fell to the ground, coughing as he inhaled vampire dust and fanning it away from his face,

He got up and brushed down the front of his suit, a smile forming on his face. "Now that, was fun," he said with a chuckle.

Without thinking Buffy hurried across the grass, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Automatically wrapping his arms around her Booth's eyes widened in surprise. Then he smiled against her lips and kissed her back, liking this reaction. Buffy pulled back and laughed, looking up at him, her eyes twinkling.

"I could kinda get used to this." Booth grinned.

Buffy slapped his arm playfully, but she was smiling. "That went a lot easier then I thought it would…um." She paused as Booth shot her a wounded look. "I mean…"

Booth laughed at the look of embarrassment on her face. "Glad to see you have faith in me," he said as he placed his arm over her shoulders and drew her against him as they turned and started walking out of the graveyard.

In the shadows two pairs of yellow eyes watched them hungrily.


	10. Chapter 10

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 10

Cleveland, Ohio USA

June 20th 2009

In the woods surrounding the cemetery, two vampires watched silently as Booth and Buffy walked away with their arms wrapped around each other.

Duke nodded at the other vampire. "You know what to do. Follow them, and don't let them see you. Go, now," he hissed around his fangs.

The other vampire glared but did as he was told, getting to his feet and quickly following the couple. He was young, stick thin and tall. As a human he had been gawky and clumsy, now he moved swiftly through the trees, following them as they heading towards the car park.

As the SUV slowly cruised away, the vampire ran towards the only other car in the lot. Pulling a small coil of metal wire out of his pocket, he crouched down on the ground and started to pick the lock. Within seconds he had the door open and the immobilizer ripped out before it had a chance to start beeping. Quickly he slid into the seat and hotwired the car.

A few minutes later he was cruising down the road, following the taillights of the SUV in the distance, he kept a safe distance from the other car as they turned into traffic. The last thing he needed was to be discovered.

The SUV stopped outside an apartment complex; the vampire cruised past before pulling over onto the curb, watching his rear view mirror. He saw Buffy and Booth kiss before the blonde hopped out of the car and headed into the building.

Booth pulled the SUV back into the traffic and the vampire followed a few seconds later.

The hotel Agent Booth parked outside was a well known and respected place for travelling businessmen and law enforcement officers. He slowed the car as he drove past the entrance and parked in a bay marked 'visitors'. He waited in the car for Booth to get out. He let his face shift to his human disguise before he got out of the car and walking through the sliding glass doors.

He was glad he had worn his good pair of jeans rather then the normal set he wore, the ones with holes in the knees; nobody looked twice at him as he followed Booth across the lobby. Heading for the stairs he kept the agent in his eyesight, watching him press the button for the elevator. He could hear the elevator through the wall and ran quickly up the deserted stairwell. When it stopped, he hid behind the corner and waited until Agent Booth had walked past before he followed.

(v)

The vampire waited a few minutes before he walked up to the Agents doorway and knocked on the door. He could hear three heartbeats inside; two were the steady beat of healthy adults and the other the quicker flutter of an excited child. Light footsteps moved towards the door and a second later it opened. A tall woman with wide cheekbones and bright blue eyes gazed at him evenly. "Yes," she said expectantly.

He smiled. "Dr. Brennan."

A frown formed on the woman's face. "Yes, who are you?" she asked.

He grinned and let his face shift, exposing the yellow eyes and fangs of a vampire. Snarling, he stepped forward, grabbing her by the arm and pushing her back into the room. She screamed as she saw his face, trying to pull away from him but he was too strong.

Booth jumped up and drew his gun. The vampire merely smiled, using Bones as a shield, holding her in front of him.

"Shoot him, Booth!" Bones yelled, unconcerned for her own safety.

Booth however, hesitated he didn't want to accidentally hit Bones.

Behind Booth, Parker peeked out from behind the bed, his eyes wide and fearful. His lip trembled as he saw the vampire's pointed fangs. Booth glanced behind him, catching Parkers eye and slowly moved in front of his son, shielding him.

"What do you want?" Booth asked harshly.

The vampire smirked. "Them." Quickly he threw Bones to the side, she screamed as she fell and hit her head on a chair. Booth didn't even have time to fire his gun before the vampire was on him, smashing his fist into his face. With a grunt Booth stumbled to the floor, dimly aware of Parker shouting in terror. He shook his head and glanced up in time to see the vampire aim a kick at his head before the room dissolved into blackness.

(v)

The vampire stared down at the unconscious Booth, a smirk on his face. He turned his head and looked at Parker. "Be quiet!" he snarled angrily, showing his fangs.

Parker quieted instantly, tears streaming down his face.

On the other side of the room Bones groaned loudly as she slowly regained consciousness before pushing herself to her feet. When she saw Booth lying unconscious on the floor she gasped in horror. The vampire stalked across the room and seized her by the arm, hauling her to her feet.

"You're coming with me, if you want to put up a fight go ahead, but I'm warning you, you're gonna get hurt." He grinned and put his face close to hers. "And I'll enjoy it."

Bones sucked in a breath of terror. She knew some martial arts moves, but he was a vampire, and after seeing them fight last night and hearing what Giles and Buffy had told them about the demons, she knew she didn't really have a chance against one. With Parker huddled against the bed, and Booth lying unconscious on the floor she knew she couldn't risk a fight.

She nodded quickly. "We'll go quietly, I don't want any trouble."

"Pity," he muttered, letting his face shift back to human and shoving her towards the door. He grabbed the boy, ignoring Parkers screams as he pushed them outside, pausing only long enough to throw an envelope on the bed and close the door behind them.

(v)

The next morning

Cleveland, Ohio USA

June 21st 2009

Tapping her foot impatiently, Buffy raised her hand and knocked on the door for the second time. Booth wasn't answering and she was getting annoyed, they had arranged for her to meet him at his hotel room the next morning so that they could get a coffee on the way to the police department.

When he again failed to come to the door, she frowned, her brows scrunching up in concern. Glancing up and down the corridor she put her hand on the doorknob and twisted savagely, breaking the lock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside the hotel room. "Booth," she called.

A low groan sounded from the other side of the room. "Booth!" she yelled, running around the edge of the bed and seeing him lying sprawled on the floor. She knelt down beside him, helping him sit up. "What happened?" she asked.

"Vampire," he muttered with a croak.

"What? Here?"

He nodded. "Followed me, knocked me out."

Buffy glanced around the apartment. "Booth, where's Brennan and Parker?"

The agent blinked, still groggy and tried sitting up further, turning his head around, his eyes widened in horror.

"He took them," Buffy whispered, shocked.

"What do they want with them?" he asked, struggling to his feet. He put his hand on the bed to help himself up, dislodging the letter the vampire had placed there. It fluttered to the floor.

Slowly, Buffy reached down and picked it up, ripping the envelope and opening the letter. She skimmed the words quickly, before looking at Booth.

"We have to go tell Giles, now."

"I'm not doing anything until I get my son and Bones back," he said.

"You won't be able to, not without his help," she said. "Come on, let's go."

(v)

_Angelus_

_We have the lady and the boy. Come to the cemetery alone, or we will kill them. _

_Your worst nightmare. _

Giles finished reading the note and rolled his eyes. "Vampires," he muttered, "always so dramatic."

They were in Giles study. Buffy had called the gang and told them they had a situation. The entire crew was there, even Illyria.

Booth was pacing around the room; they could all see how angry and annoyed he was. "What do they want with Bones and Parker? They haven't done anything," he said as he made another lap of the room.

"They want to hurt you, make you act rashly," Buffy replied

"Why?" asked Booth looking up. "What can they possibly want with me?"

The room fell silent. Booth reached out and took the letter back from Giles and re-read it. "And who the hell is Angelus anyway? Is that a codename or something?"

Buffy and Giles exchanged glances. "No, he's a vampire," Giles admitted reluctantly.

Booth frowned. "There's a vampire named Angelus? What kind of stupid name is that?"

Spike snorted in laughter. "What?" Booth snapped as the rest of them struggled to hide their grins.

"Nothing," Buffy said quickly.

Booth looked down at the letter again. "What do they want with me?" he queried.

Buffy bit her lip. She had a fair idea of what the vampires wanted. They wanted to kill him, hurt her, and get revenge on all the things Angel had done to his fellow vampires. "I'm not sure," she lied.

He sighed harshly and racked a hand through his hair. "This used to be so easy before I knew about Vampires and Demons. I could have called the S.W.A.T team in, and have some suave negotiations, maybe used some government money to pay a ransom." He sighed softly, and looked at Buffy. "So, how are we going to go about this?"

"Not we, me," Buffy said. "The Slayers can handle this."

"Not a chance. I'm getting Bones and Parker out of that place and you can't do anything to stop me." He sat down on the couch. "So tell me what I need to do." He said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the couch.

(v)

On the other side of town Connor, Dawn and Hannah were driving towards the school. They had just arrived at the airport after a ten hour plane flight from Russia. They had hired a car and were currently speeding down the highway as fast as possible. Connor was at the wheel, Dawn in the passenger seat and Hannah in the backseat, resting her elbows on the back of each of their seats and leaning forward excitedly.

Connor cursed loudly every time he had to stop as a set of lights, while Dawn sat silently, her arms folded in her lap. She looked out the window, watching the streetlights flash past, thoughts bouncing around her head. It must be tough for Buffy, seeing the man she loved again and having him not know her. Dawn turned her head and looked at Connor. She couldn't imagine him not being beside her; he was everything, her best friend, her husband and the only person she could go to for help. Even Buffy had become distant these last couple of years, especially once she decided to stay in Cleveland and Dawn continued to travel all over the world.

But now she was back home and Buffy was going to need her. Angel was alive; the thought was still so foreign. He had been dead for almost four years, and now he was back with no memory of who he was. She knew Connor was desperately trying to keep his mind off this fact, otherwise he would break down. When Angel had died he had been distraught, blaming himself.

.

Looking back, she remembered that first night they had met, when he and Spike had appeared in the doorstep, soaked to the bone. Both of them had been covered in blood, their eyes showing the horror they had witnessed.

Buffy had spiralled quickly down into her depression and Dawn had been unable to help her sister. Connor, drawn to her by their similar age, had turned to her. They began to talk as they sat in the quiet study halls on the third floor. As they got to know one another they found themselves with more and more in common.

Technically neither of them should have even existed: her, a million year old mystical key to dimensional walls, and he, the human son of two vampires. Yet both of them had grown up around people who were well aware of the supernatural.

Months passed and feelings grew. Dawn would smile whenever he came into the room, and Connor would make a point of always walking past the room where he knew she always sat and studied.

Eventually he asked her out; she said yes and it began a whirlwind romance. He was her first boyfriend, and her first time was an experience she would never forget. It hurt a little, but Connor was gentle, and almost pedantic about making sure the condom was on right.

She chuckled to herself, remembering the look on Buffy's face when they announced their engagement within the year, and then walking down the aisle six months later. Now almost three years later she couldn't believe her good luck.

But even after all this time, after finding love and following his heart, she knew Connor still missed his father. After the call from Buffy and the hope that Angel was still alive, minus the memories, Connor had worked himself into a frenzy. Hence the speeding down the highway at breakneck speeds.

Dawn however didn't know what to think; he wouldn't be Angel, not the father Connor would remember, and she didn't want him to be disappointed.

(v)

Booth continued to pace slowly around the large study, his hands crossed over his chest a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think it would be a good if we entered the warehouse together, bring the fight to them, and put them on the back foot straight away." He had just turned and was about to start walking around the room again when suddenly the door burst open and three young people ran into the room. His eyes widened as he caught site of the sandy-haired young man.

_The lobby rumbled ominously before a bright flash of light cracked to life up near the first floor balcony. An animalistic roar of anger shattered the air and a large, dinosaur-like demon fell through the portal and landed on the slate tiles. He watched with wide eyes, a sword in his hand, the people on either side of him staring at the same place. A few seconds later, another figure fell through the portal, a human, a young man. The other man landed on his feet, cat-like and crouched, facing the demon with a determined look on his face. In his hand was a sword, his clothing made of animal skins._

The young man fought with the demon, jumping on its back and slicing his sword across the demon's throat. When it fell to the floor he jumped back to avoid getting squished, then the young man turned around and face him his pale blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"Hey Dad," Connor said before he raised his arm and fired the automatic stake launcher right at him.

"Connor?" Booth whispered.

As everyone turned round to look at him in shock his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground in a heap. A chorus of concerned shouts filled the air. "Booth!" yelled Buffy as she rushed forward, Connor right behind her.

As Booth's body hit the floor his mind exploded in a flash of white light. As the light faded, he found himself standing in the middle of a sunlight grassy field, beside him was another man, a couple of years younger than himself with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was short, maybe a couple of inches shorter then Bones and was wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and a brown leather jacket.

"So, finally made it did ya?" the man said to him, his Irish accent coming in strong.

Booth frowned. "Do I know you?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "I'm Doyle, and you do, you just don't remember yet."

Booth narrowed his eyes at him and Doyle grinned, patting him on the back. "Don't worry, mate, I'll show ya. All you have to do is watch."

The golden meadow faded, being replaced by an old-fashioned tavern. It was night and the tavern was filled with people dressed in old-fashion clothes.

"Where are we?" he asked looking around.

Doyle jerked his head to the side and Booth followed his gaze, his eyes widening when he saw a man, the splitting image of himself, sitting at a table. His hair was long, a half dozen empty pint mugs scattered across the table in front of him. On his lap sat a dark haired young woman, her blouse incredibly low cut.

"That guy…."

"It's you," Doyle told him.

Booth didn't say anything. As he watched the scene unfold, he started to remember; memories of other nights, different girls but always the same result, skirts lifted high, thighs wrapped tight around him.

He blinked and shook his head quickly. "I don't understand," he said turning his head and looking Doyle in the eye.

Doyle smiled grimly. "No," he said as the tavern door opened and a small blonde woman in an incredibly fancy white dress walked through the door, "but you will."

(v)

He saw himself rise from his own grave. Remembered what it was like to crawl out of his coffin and break through the freshly turned soil.

The memories came quickly after that: centuries of murder, torturing souls, spending the daylight hours in the sweet embrace of sexy blonde vampires. Darla—the name came to him suddenly.

She wasn't the only women who'd shared his bed, he'd had others he used and discarded, their necks ripped apart. He could feel the years passing, though no lines marred his face or that of the vampire beside him. Eventually a thin, dark haired girl joined them. Watching as he stalked, tortured, and then killed her was painful. Doyle thankfully didn't show him her last moments, but he could still feel his joy as she screamed madly in terror.

Years past, and his soul was returned in a flash of pain and anguish. For decades he wandered the streets with nothing to live for until one day a balancing demon came to him and showed him a girl who would change his world.

It was Buffy, ten years younger, a strawberry lollypop in her mouth. An adorable expression of confusion on her face as the Watcher in front of her told her about her calling.

The next few years was a rush of emotions, love and pain, followed by six months of anger and madness. He lost his soul again, and Buffy didn't stop loving him.

Standing in the corner of the room, Doyle beside him, Booth turned his head away, unable to watch as she pushed a sword through his chest and sent him to hell.

When he came back it was different. Nobody trusted him; he couldn't look at Giles without feeling a sense of guilt at what he had done. He loved Buffy, but he couldn't stay with her. He couldn't give her what she needed, nor could he risk them losing control. They were the gasoline to each other's fire. So he left, turned his back on her as the high school burned down around her. Turned his back he walked out of her life, but not her heart.

Doyle reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder as Booth stared at Buffy in shock. "Why did I do that?" he asked quietly.

"For her own good, as men tend to do." Doyle said with a rueful smile as he patted the taller man's shoulder. "You made a few good friends in LA, and did a lot of good while you were there."

Doyle smiled again and the scene changed, showing them both walking down a dark street. Doyle had a brown paper bag in his hand. "It's not all about fighting and gadgets and stuff. It's about reaching out to people, showing that there's love and hope still left in this world," he said as they crossed the street.

They both stepped onto the sidewalk and a small, hunching homeless woman put out her hand as they walked past. "Spare change?" she asked.

Doyle turned his head and looked at her. "Get a job you lazy sow."

Booth's eyes widened. "You?" he asked.

Doyle nodded. "Me, and a few others."

The 'others' turned out to be Cordelia, one of Buffy's friends from school. "So, are you still all grr?" she asked him in the middle of a party.

Booth turned towards Doyle and raised his eyebrows. Doyle smirked, "Aye, she had a bit of a rocky start too, but she never let you down."

And then Doyle died.

Sacrificing himself so that a boatful of demon-human hybrids could live. He died a hero's death and passed on his visions to the unsuspecting Cordelia when they shared their first and only kiss up on the balcony.

Booth sucked in a surprised breath and turned to the man beside him. 'Two months?" that was all? You only helped for two months?"

Doyle smiled sadly. "I did what I was meant to, and I passed my gift to somebody who needed it even more than I did."

(v)

The spoiled schoolgirl Cordelia grew into a surprisingly thoughtful young woman under the responsibility of being a seer for the Powers That Be. With each vision she slowly changed, caring less and less about the frivolous things and more and more about the people they were destined to help.

Soon another familiar face appeared. Wesley, Buffy's former Watcher appeared on their door, in leather pants no less. Though labelling himself as a 'Rogue Demon Hunter', he quickly became a part of the group. His vast knowledge of Demons and languages was an asset to the group.

At the end of that first year, a young black man called Gunn joined the group after his sister was turned into a vampire, and he was forced to kill her. Like Angel he was a fighter, tall and strong.

"What happens now?" Booth asked softly as the scene changed again.

Doyle laughed. "Hold ya horses, man, we got years to get through yet. You'll see."

Darla, his sire returned as a human, he saw as she drugged him and spent weeks sleeping in his bed without him knowing. Soon she filled his waking thoughts, and haunted his dreams.

He tried to help her, going through The Trials in order to give her a second chance, but she was already on her second chance. It didn't work, she was still dying. As he took her back to the motel she was staying at, he tried to comfort her, tell her it was going to be ok.

That's when things took a turn for the worse as Drusilla turned her into a vampire right in front of his eyes.

As a vampire, she and Drusilla terrorised Los Angeles for weeks until Angel, finally pushed to the edge, set them on fire. After that he fell into an even further depression before confronting Darla in his had sex, trying to feel anything but the cold he could feel closing in around his heart.

Trying to get the group to trust him again was another matter entirely; Cordy, Wes and Gunn were hurt, suspicious and wary of trusting him again. Around that same time, a demon by the name of Lorne, a green-skinned, empathy demon started to work with them.

A side trip to a hell dimension, and Fred, a young woman Angel and the others rescued from an alternate dimension, became the last member of their team. She was brilliant, a physicist and one of the smartest people he had ever know.

As they stepped back into the lobby and saw Willow sitting sadly on the couch, he could feel the shock and sadness that was about to come. Doyle watched him closely.

"What's going on, Willow?" he heard Cordelia ask.

'It's Buffy," he heard himself say, his voice hollow.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Booth asked quietly, watching as Angel stumbled and fell to his knees.

Doyle nodded. "Yes, she is. A few months later Willow brings her back though."

"Oh," said Booth, "I was wondering about that."

His reunion with the blonde Slayer was emotionally draining and fraught with danger. Neither of them could keep their hands off one another; it was only by sheer force of will that both of them kept their clothes on. It hammered home their need for distance and he returned to LA as depressed as when he left.

He watched in awe as Darla returned heavily pregnant, a human baby inside her. He saw her struggle as she tried to deal with the new soul inside her. As she lay in the rain she looked up and took hold of Angel's hand.

"This child, Angel, is the only good thing we ever did together." He saw himself nod slowly before Darla moved, wrapping her small hand around the stake at her side and quickly plunging it down between her breasts.

She was gone in an instant, her ashes falling to the earth amongst the driving rain. A little baby boy left lying naked on the ground. The look on Angel's face was one of pure shock as he slowly reached for his son and held him against his chest, his dead body offering little protection against the cold.

On the other side of the road Booth and Doyle watched silently. "I remember," Booth said quietly, tears in his voice. "He kept crying, I couldn't keep him warm. Cordelia had to give me her coat so that I could wrap it around him.'

He took a deep breath and looked at Doyle in shock. "Holtz took him. He tricked Wesley and took my son from me. Jumping into the portal to Quor-Toth and taking my son from me." His voice cracked with anger. "Three weeks past and he came back a teenager. A teenager! I missed out on raising my own son, of teaching him right from wrong. Instead he came back changed by that place, filled with hate that had nothing to do with his own feelings and everything to do with what Holtz shoved in his head."

Doyle nodded slowly, "Do you remember the rest now?" he asked slowly.

Booth fell silent, and nodded. "Yeah," he murmured "I remember it all now."

He shuddered as the sudden image of himself, Spike, Gunn and Illyria standing in the middle of an alley facing a demon hoard. "How the hell did I survive?" he wondered out loud.

Doyle chuckled softly. "That's the thing, you _were_ dead."

"What?"

He nodded. "You were dust in that alley mate.'

"The dragon," murmured Booth to himself. "I remember the fire."

"The PTB decided to bring you back. Oh some of them were against it, they thought you didn't deserve it, but most of them thought you had earned it. A few day's later you were brought back, a new set of memories, a new life, fitting perfectly into the world around you with friends and family."

Booth looked away; he knew when he had stopped being Angel and became Booth. It was five years ago, he hadn't met Bones yet. He was dating Rebecca, he only had a small office in the FBI and he wasn't nearly as happy back then as he was now. He was still gambling, spending a lot of his hard earned money on cards. Those first few months were dark, he looked back and wondered why Rebecca had stayed with him.

It was a few months after that when Bec found out she was pregnant. The knowledge gave him a reason to finally make an effort to stop the gambling. The thought of his son gave him the strength to get his life on track.

He had even asked Bec to marry him; he cared about her and thought it was the right thing to do, but she turned him down, not ready for marriage. He moved out, got his own apartment and joint custody of Parker.

A year later he started working with Bones, becoming the FBI liaison for the Jeffersonian Institute, working cases he never thought could be solved, except by the brilliance of his partner and the rest of the squints.

There were a few times during the last four years where he had thought that he was in love with Bones. She was a beautiful woman, brilliant, but with a social awkwardness he found that enduring. He loved her honesty, her bluntness and her refusal to let a case go unsolved. Her pure logical thinking sometimes frustrated him to no end, but he wouldn't change that for the world.

But she didn't feel the same way, continually expressing her displeasure of anything to do with emotions, preferring facts and figures to matters of the heart. As time went on his feelings lessened, and he was satisfied that he had made the right choice. He would find someone who could love him.

Being diagnosed with a brain tumour and having surgery put his humanity into stark relief, he started to question everything. That's when his memories started to merge.

He took a deep breath and looked up at Doyle. "Why did this start happening to me? I was fine being Booth, why did I start getting these memories back?" he asked.

"The Powers thought you needed them back, bad stuff is coming, Angel. There is a reason you're hear in Cleveland with the Slayer, and it's not for dirty fun times."

Booth snorted. "Great," he muttered, "I thought I was done with that shit. Now I find I'm back in the thick of it. Why me, huh?"

Doyle shrugged again. "I don't know man, I'm just the messenger. But I guess they thought you were the best guy for the job, and the only one the Slayer would trust."

"What's happening?"

"The vampires, they want to open the Hellmouth."

"How?"

"You."

"Me, what?"

"Well, not you-you, past you."

Booth blinked, and then glared angrily. "Explain."

Doyle shifted on his feet. "Angelus."

Booth paled. "They want Angelus back? And they took Bones and Parker so that I would be where they wanted."

"You already know that, and the Slayer is prepared. You won't let that happen."

"No, I'll die before I let that happen again. I'm finally happy, human, and Buffy and I can finally be together, I'm not letting that go again," Booth said fiercely.

Doyle smiled. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

"Well first I gotta figure out who exactly I am now. Am I Angel, or am I Booth?" he wondered.

Doyle shrugged. "I think that's something you're gonna have to figure out for yourself."

"So, can I wake up now?"

Doyle chuckled and clapped his hand on Booth's shoulder. "Aye."

The next instant Booth blinked, finding himself lying on his back in the middle of the floor. Buffy and the others all crowded around looking down at him.

"Booth. Are you ok?" Buffy asked.

He looked at her, blinking quickly to clear the brightness from his eyes. "No," he said, struggling to his feet. The others moved back, Buffy offering her hand to help him to his feet. He stood, shakily, putting his hand to the side of his head and massaging the bruise he could feel forming on his skull.

Connor was standing a couple of feet from him, his hands held awkwardly at his sides, a worried look on his face.

Booth took a deep breath, took a step forward and before anyone could say anything wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him tight. "It's good to see you again, son." he said, ignoring the gasps of shock from the others in the room.

Connor returned the hug, "You too, Dad," he said with a relieved smile.

**A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this story. Please review! xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks again to Readingmama for the beta, she rocks! Thank you for all the lovely feedback and reviews on the last chapter, i bet you are all shocked and awed that i've actually posted another one within a year. I know, i've completely failed with the updates in the past. But never fear, this story is almost finished! About time right? Anyway, hope you all enjoy the next installment. **

...

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 11

Cleveland, Ohio USA

June 21st 2009

Connor kept his arms tight around his father's shoulders. As Booth returned the hug he was suddenly aware that his father was now human. When Buffy had told him Angel was back, some part of him still hadn't believed it, people just didn't come back, unless you were Buffy. But the breath of life against his shoulder, and the sound of Booth's heart beating in his chest brought the reality crashing home.

Apparently his dad should've been included in that statement. He was older, human, and the smile on his face was a little unfamiliar, but the look in his eyes was the same.

A few seconds passed before Connor and Booth took a step back out of the embrace, both of them looking slightly embarrassed. Booth glanced around the room as everyone stared at him in shock. "Damn, I think I need a drink," he muttered to himself as he rubbed his forehead.

Spike reached into his jacket and pulled out his hip flask, offering it to the shocked agent. Booth glanced at the flask, smiled ruefully and shook his head. Spike shrugged and took a swig before putting it back into his pocket.

Buffy's heart was racing, she could hardly breathe. Was this really happening?

"Angel?" she whispered softly.

Booth's head whipped around in shock. "Don't…" he said quietly as he stared at her. "Don't call me that anymore."

She took a step towards him, but he took a step backwards, keeping distance between them. She stopped, blinking back tears at the haunted look in his eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked finally.

He shook his head "No. I'm not ok," he said.

"What happened?" asked Connor quietly.

Booth looked at his son sadly. "I've just had two hundred and fifty years worth of memories shoved back into my head. I could have done without a few of them," he admitted.

"Karma's a bitch isn't it, dad." Connor said with a smirk.

Booth shot him an annoyed look. "I had my reasons for doing that; you were going to kill yourself." he tried to explain why he had done what he had done. "It wasn't an easy thing to do."

Connor looked away. "I know," he whispered. "I never said thanks for that either. I was pretty messed up before, the new memories were what I needed."

Booth nodded gratefully and glanced around the room, finally getting a good look at everyone. His gaze rested on Lorne, Spike and Illyria for a second, glad to see that the last of his team had made it. "So, you got Connor out?" he asked Spike quietly.

"Yeah, mate," Spike said.

Booth smiled, glad the other vampire had done what he asked for the first time in his life.

He grinned at Faith. "Hey Faith," he said.

"Hey, big guy, didn't think I'll ever see you again," the dark Slayer said with a wink.

He looked at the others, offering Willow a hesitant smile, nodded his head at Giles and Xander before he looked at Dawn.

Dawn bit her lip and took Connor's hand. "Say something, dad, you're making her nervous." Connor said jokingly as Booth continued to stare at them.

"How long have you been married?" Booth asked, noticing the rings on their fingers.

The couple looked at each other. "A few years," Connor said, "You ok with that?"

"Of course I'm ok," he said, sounding a little offended, "It's just…"

"What?"

Booth shrugged. "Could've had an invite though," he said with a smirk.

As everyone stared at him in shock he glanced around the room again, trying to suppress a grimace.

"What's wrong?"

"Just remembered 1885," he said and Spike winced as well. Booth frowned in concentration, a thought niggling at him, he's memories where shot, and he was having trouble remembering what had brought him here in the first place. "Where's Parker?" he asked quietly.

Buffy glanced at the others quickly. "Booth," she began hesitantly, taking a step towards him.

Booth glanced around the room again, his eyes wide before he spotted the note on the table and finally seemed to remember why he was here. "They took him…and Bones too," he whispered. "The vampires took them to get to me."

"We'll get them back," Buffy said forcefully looking him in the eye. "Don't worry."

"No."

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Not you, just me," he said.

There was silence for a few seconds before everyone started talking at once. "I'm coming with you." Buffy's voice drowned out the others protests.

"Nobody is coming with me!" he shouted angrily. "Didn't you read the note? I'm going alone or they're gonna kill Parker and Bones, I'm not letting that happen."

"An- Booth," began Buffy, "they'll kill you. Then they'll kill Parker and Bones."

"And what happens if you come with me? They'll do that anyway. No, at least this way they have a chance."

"So, what are you gonna do?" snapped Spike. "Go in their place?" Booth's silence was answer enough. There was an uproar, but Booth wasn't listening, he headed towards the door.

Connor rushed forward but Booth turned around quickly, his pistol in his hand. He pointed it right at Connor's head and the boy froze. Everyone else in the room stopped and stared, too shocked to do anything but shout their outrage. Illyria was the only one who was silent, merely tilting her head to the side curiously.

"I'm going alone," Booth said again.

"I'm faster than you now," Connor said, not at all concerned at the gun pointed at his head from across the room.

Booth paused considering, then he corrected his aim and pointed the gun at Dawn.

"Booth," whispered Buffy quietly, scared now. There was a glint in his eye she had only seen once, on the cliff above Sunnydale, when he was about to kill himself. When he was going do whatever it took, no matter the consequences.

She didn't think snow would work in this instance. She could see Spike shifting forward and knew the vampire would act soon, damn the consequences. She reached out and grabbed Spike's elbow, when he glanced at her she shook her head.

"Ok," she said to Booth. "Go. We won't follow."

Booth glanced at her quickly, while Connor gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you serious Buffy?" he snapped.

"Connor," Dawn interrupted quietly, "there's a gun being pointed at my head."

They could almost see the gears turning in Connor's head as he weighed up the options. Finally he stepped back and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Ok fine!" he barked.

Keeping the gun up Booth quickly took the couple of steps backwards before he got to the door and left, closing it with a firm click behind him.

"Why the hell didn't you do anything, Blue?" Spike snapped angrily. "You're the quickest one here!"

Illyria, who had been watching the exchange expressionlessly, merely looked at him. "His grief is overwhelming. I find it interesting to watch."

Spike sighed dramatically and rubbed his forehead. Connor snorted and shook his head, even after all these years he still didn't understand the old one, or her motives

"We're going after him aren't we?" he asked the room at large.

"Of course," said Buffy, in a tone that suggested Connor was a little slow.

"No doubt the old bastard will do something stupid," Spike muttered.

Connor opened his mouth to reply when the sound of gunshots shattered the night. Without even having to look at each other they all rushed for the door, running down the stairs and through the lobby. Stopping on the pavement they stared across the road.

"See, what did I tell ya, I knew he would do something stupid."

Buffy and the others all stared in shock at the cars parked across the road, one tire on each car was blasted apart, the work of a well placed bullet.

"Shit," snapped Faith, "How are we gonna go after him now?"

Buffy glanced down the road, where there were cars parked on the side of the road in front of the Terrance houses. "Go upstairs and get the weapons," she said to Faith and Illyria, "Spike and I will grab the cars. Who else is coming?"

"I am," Connor said as Willow also nodded.

"Ok," she said. "Connor can help us. Willow, go with Faith. Make sure you grab a sword for me and Spike. We have to hurry, he's already got a head start. We need to get there before he gets killed, or worse."

"What could possibly be worse?" Willow asked.

Spike turned his head around and gave her an incredulous look. "You've been living under a rock, Red? Doesn't the word 'Vampire' mean anything to you?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh, goddess," she muttered.

(v)

Booth was behind the wheel of the SUV and speeding down the highway heading towards the Zabor Funeral Home cemetery as fast as he could. His son and Bones needed him. He didn't feel proud about pulling his gun on the others, but this was something he had to do. He couldn't afford Buffy, Connor, or anyone else—except maybe Spike—from getting hurt. He didn't think he could handle it.

He didn't care if he died again, but he wouldn't let Parker or Bones down. They were counting on him and if that meant walking into the vampires lair by himself, then so be it. He knew there was a distinct possibility the vampires would try and turn him, but he would kill himself before he let that happen again. He had come prepared. The gun at his waist was full and he had a spare magazine stuffed in the pocket of his jacket if need be. There was also a stake in the glove box.

The sign for the cemetery appeared on his right. Slowing the car, he took the turn into the wooded lane. He continued on for a few minutes until the lane opened up into a car park and he stopped the SUV in front of the gates and parked. He grabbed the stake from the glove box and stuffed it in his pocket as he jumped out of the car. He grabbed his gun and held it in a two handed grip as he moved quickly through the trees toward the mausoleum. His heart was pumping wildly and he struggled to control his breathing as he headed further into the cemetery, passing graves even older then he was. He took a deep breath through his nose and told himself to remain calm. He could see the mausoleum on the top of the hill and headed towards it. As he got closer he noticed there were two vampires standing outside waiting for him, they both smiled evilly and Booth felt his heart sink a little. He holstered the gun and stepped up in front of them. "Where are they?" he asked.

The vampires grinned. "After you," the one on the right said with a smirk, indicating the open door.

Booth didn't say anything as he walked into the mausoleum and looked around. The crypt was trashed, the stone sarcophagus was broken and crumbled in the corner, in the place it should have been was a staircase leading down into the earth. He looked down and sighed. "Of course," he muttered to himself as the vampire took a flashlight from his pocket and started walking down the stairs, indicating Booth should follow him.

As he headed down the stairs, Booth could sense the other vampire behind him, bringing up the rear. He wondered again what he had stumbled into. This wasn't the first time he had gotten himself into life threatening situations, it might be the last though, Buffy was going to kill him if he lived through this. The staircase went down a little way before it turned into a tunnel. They followed the passageway for a couple of hundred meters until it opened up into a manmade cave.

He looked around quickly. There were holes in the walls for coffins to be placed. The entire room was quite large and furnished with 70's and 80's décor. He noticed an old couch, armchair and a fridge in the corner. There was a chess set on a rickety table and a couple of chairs and even an ancient black and white TV.

On the floor in the clear space in the middle of the room was an intricate circle design, made of metal. The _Seal_ of Danzalthar, and the entrance to the Hellmouth.

He raised an eyebrow. "I like what you've done with the place," he deadpanned.

One of the vampires, completely missing the sarcasm nodded. "It needs a bit of paint and patching I think," he admitted, looking around thoughtfully.

Booth snorted as the other vampire hit him over the head and called him an idiot. Ten more vampires saunter into the room from the door at the other end, walking forward they spread out. Two men and a woman left the others and headed towards him, stopping right in front of him, as the others hovered in the background.

"Angelus," the taller of the men greeted, obviously the leader.

"It's Booth," he said, with absolutely no intention of mentioning his first name.

Allan 'Duke' Delaney smiled. "Not for much longer," he said.

Booth fought to remain calm, to keep his breathing steady and his eyes on the man in front of him. To show weakness was to give into these creatures, and he hadn't spent the last hundred years fighting to give in now. "Let my son and Bones go, then I'll do whatever you want," he told them.

"Anything?" the female vampire said with a coy smile, winking at him.

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief as the leader slowly turned his head and stared at her. "Focus, Nix," Duke muttered.

A grin spread across his face. "Can't you keep her under control?" Booth said as he shook his head and tutted, disappointed. The female vampire giggled as Duke growled angrily. She quickly bit her lip and fell silent, glancing up at him through hooded eyes, her shoulders still shaking with silent laughter.

Booth however kept his eyes on Duke. "Well?" he said.

Duke folded his arms over his chest. "Why should I let them go, you're human, they're human, you're no match for us," he grinned savagely, "and we're hungry."

Booth refused to look away as the vampire kept staring at him. Quickly he pushed his coat out of the way and drew his gun, pointing it directly at Duke. "You sure about that?" he asked as he pulled the trigger.

Duke dropped like a stone as the bullet lodged deep in his forehead. Metal bullets weren't fatal to vampires, but a direct hit to the middle of the forehead would hurt like a bitch and paralyse the vampire for a few minutes as it healed.

Booth moved quickly, targeting the other male vampire as Nix quickly ducked and jumped out of the way. By the time Booth had fired another shot, hitting the second male in the head, and turned to face Nix, she was already upon him. She snarled angrily as she got within reach, grabbed his arm and pushed it out of the way with a jerk. Pain shot up his arm and he yelled as his hand opened reflexively, releasing the trigger. Nix wrenched the gun from his hand and through it away from her so it skidded across the floor and then kicked him savagely to the ground.

He groaned in pain. "Stupid," she hissed as she bent down and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, hauling his upper body up off the floor.

Booth curled his hand into a fist and punched her right in the face with all his strength. The vampire's head snapped back and she grunted with pain. He started to grin, not the smartest thing to do. She glared down at him before backhanding him across the face, causing him to grunt in pain and slump in her grip. He had forgotten just how strong a vampire was against a human. He hadn't been on this side of a fight for a long, long time.

They were joined then by the two vampires that had led him down the tunnel. They jumped into the fray with relish, kicking and punching him. He fought back, managing to get a good hit in before the vampires overpowered him and he was forced to cover his head with his arm.

"Stop," Nix announced. Both vampires stopped immediately and stepped back.

He sucked in a deep breath as he laid on the floor. Nix knelt down beside him, grabbing his arm and pulling him up into a sitting position. She settled down next to him and placed a hand on his cheek in false gesture of comfort.

Booth tried to pull away but she was too strong. She put her fingers under his chin and tilted his face up exposing his neck. With a slow smile her face shifted and he found himself staring up into the yellow eyes of a demon, her fangs glinting in the lamplight. He struggled again but she merely laughed, leaned forward and sunk her teeth into the skin at the base of his throat.

Her nails dug into the tender skin on his upper arms as she drank greedily, fuelled by the sudden twang of fear she could taste and smell. Booth's face screwed up in pain and he grabbed her shoulders, trying to push her away, despite his best efforts he was getting scared. The last time he was in this position, Darla had turned him into a vampire and kicked off his reign of terror as one of the worst vampires in history. He didn't want to experience that again, not ever. He would die before he became a soulless monster again.

Desperately, he tried punching her again but his blows were weak, hardly worth Nix's attention. She growled, and he felt her lips brush the side of his neck as she swallowed the blood that was flowing from the wound. She grabbed his hair and wrenched his head even further back, causing Booth to yell out in pain.

His head was fuzzy and his heart thundered in his ears, a loud steady drum as it started to slow. He couldn't feel his legs, every breath he took came with a sharp stabbing pain. The vampire's fangs were torture against his neck. His vision darkened, black spots appeared in the corner of his eyes.

Suddenly she pulled away, letting him go so he slumped unceremoniously to the ground. He moaned softly and she smiled, licking her lips slowly. "Don't worry sweetie, I'm not gonna kill you, yet," she said with a smile as her face turned back to human.

She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, undoing his tie and ripped open his shirt, exposing his chest. She made an appreciative sound in the back of her throat before reaching into the waistband of her pants and pulling out a small Swiss Army knife, in hot pink. Booth flinched automatically when he saw it and tried to move away. Nix just snorted in amusement and put a hand on his shoulder, effectively stilling his movements.

On the other side of the room Duke had finally recovered from the bullet to the forehead, with a shake of his head and a fair bit of swearing he rolled to his feet. He walked towards them as the second vampire Booth had shot was also stirring, a soft moan coming from its throat.

The other vampires in the room were looking over curiously, excitement and anticipation plain on their faces. Most of them were in game face, the blood from his wounds making them loose whatever control they had.

Duke's boots clicked on the floor as he crossed the room and looked down at them. "I hope you didn't take too much," he said to Nix as he stared at Booth's wounds intently, unconsciously licking his lips.

Nix glared up at him. "Give me some credit, Duke," she growled. "I'm not some fledgling, he's cute but I know what we're here for. I'm not gonna stuff it up."

Duke grumbled under his breath but nodded, trusting the younger vampire to do what was needed. She smiled and wickedly twirled the knife in her hand. Before Booth even realised what was happening, Nix had pressed it against the skin of his chest, above his heart.

Panic washed over him. "What are you doing?" he asked in a raspy voice, his breath catching in his throat.

"The seal, it needs a blood sacrifice to open." She pressed the knife harder against his skin, drawing blood. At his wince, she smiled. "Now, for a little artistic license," she muttered as she started to carve intricate symbols into his chest. With each cut of the knife Booth jerked in pain, he bit his lip to keep from crying out. Once she had finished she shuffled back.

Duke bent down, grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. The entire room spun dangerously and Booth slumped warily against the vampire, unable to hold himself up. Duke smiled and walked across the room, practically dragging the agent behind him as Booth struggled to keep his feet. He stopped at the edge of the Seal of Danzalthar in the middle of the room and looked down at the ancient design and the bizarre goat head in the middle. Without warning Duke gave him a hard shove, causing Booth to sprawl on the floor, across the Seal, the wounds on his chest directly above the ancient design.

The Seal slowly began to glow with a bright white light and all around them the room began to shake as the earth rumbled ominously. Chairs and tables rattled across the ground, and the bookcase on the far wall toppled to the floor.

Duke looked around at the destruction, a smile on his face. "And so it begins."

(v)

Connor skidded the car to a stop outside the cemetery gates just as the earth began to shake. He put the car in park and shut off the ignition as he, Buffy, Giles and Faith hopped out of the car. Another car carrying Spike, Illyria and Willow stopped behind them and the other three got out as well. They gathered their weapons from the trunk of the car and walked through the gates, stepping off the path and quickly running through the cemetery. They entered a small strand of trees and ran through it until they came to a clearing with a mausoleum on top of a hill.

The group ran through the grass and burst through the door, seeing the crumbling sarcophagus and the stairs that lead down into the ground.

The earth shook with another quake.

"What's happening?" Faith asked quietly

"It's the Hellmouth," Willow explained.

"It's hungry," Illyria added in her soft monotone. "It's had blood."

Buffy and the others all looked at her in horror. "What?" whispered Buffy in horror. "How can you tell?"

Illyria tilted her head to the side. "It is connected to the earth. I can hear its thoughts. It is awakening, hungry and feeding on the blood that has been given to it…."

"Crap," muttered Connor as he and the others exchanged horrified looks before turning and running quickly down the stair. They quickly ran down the hall, not bothering to keep quiet before bursting into the room.

They all stopped, their eyes searching the room. The vampires were standing in a circle in the centre of the room, their arms raised above their heads, a glowing white light at their feet. The Hellmouth.

Buffy looked around the room frantically, finally spotting the outline of a body amongst the white light on the floor. Booth. Her eyes widened and she screamed the agents name as she rushed into the room, the others on her heels. The vampires turned, startled, but not for long. They growled, showing their teeth and attacked.

Buffy twirled her sword in her hand as a vampire headed directly for her, an axe in his hand. The others were similarly attacked. Connor ducked Nix's punch and retaliated by a kick to the stomach. He could smell blood, his father's blood, on her breath and knew she was the one responsible. He quickly grabbing the stake from his pocked and staked the vampire quickly. He saw surprise flash across her face before she turned to dust at his feet.

Duke attacked Spike, throwing the blonde vampire into the wall. Spike's hands braced against the wall, and he smirked as he turned his head back around.

"Oi, mate, you don't know how much I'm gonna enjoy this," he said before jumping back into the fray. He attacked Duke, punching and kicking the other vampire. Duke gave as good as he got though, splitting Spike's lip with a well-aimed punch and almost breaking the blonde vampires arm. Spike snarled in pain.

"Spike, catch!" yelled Faith from a few meters away. Spike looked over, and grinned as a sword sailed through the air towards him. Spike caught it and turned, grinning at the look of astonishment on Duke's face as he swept the blade through the air and cleaved his neck from his shoulders. As he crumbled to dust Spike gave a satisfied smirk and looked around for a new target.

In the centre of the room Illyria and Faith made quick work of their vampires as well, the blue demon literally punching the heart out of her opponent's chest as Faith ducked and dodged punches and kicks before beheading her vampire with a swing of her axe.

The earth rumbled again. Everyone stumbled and Willow fell to her knees. Faith glanced around the room; the light had grown stronger as she watched. She saw Booth stir and try to push himself upright as the seal below him started to open.

"Buffy!" Faith yelled frantically "The Hellmouth is opening!"

Buffy killed the vampire she was fighting before glancing quickly around the small room. She scrambled over, but by the time she reached him he was still again. "Booth?!" Buffy yelled frantically, kneeling down beside him and grabbing his shoulders, pulling him away from the Seal. She dragged him along the ground for a few meters before laying him down on his back and kneeling down beside him. "Booth," she said again, softer this time.

He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking at her, his eyes unfocused before he took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes again.

Then his breathing stopped.

"No!" Buffy yelled frantically, "Booth!"

She put her hands on his chest and started compressions, careful not to use all her strength, she didn't want to crush his ribs by accident. At the right intervals she leaned forward, opened his mouth and blew her breath down his throat. All the while tears were streaming down her face. "Willow!" she screamed over her shoulder.

Willow looked up and rushed to her side, the others close behind her as they noticed the panic Buffy was in. Willow knelt down beside the agent and put her hands on his chest and muttered a Wiccan incantation. The others crowded round, Faith had a horrified expression on her face and Connor looked worried.

"Do something, he's dying!" the young man shouted at the witch, his terror getting the better of him.

"I am," Willow assured him, as a spark of electricity shot from her splayed hands down into his chest, shocking his heart into beating. Buffy bent down and blew another mouthful of air into his lung. A strangled, choking gasp sprang from his throat as he suddenly started breathing again. Buffy let out a sob and clutched at him in relief.

Booth moaned again and slowly sat up. He glanced around the room, before looking up into Buffy's eyes.

Willow placed her hand over the seal and muttered an incantation. Without his blood feeding it the power slowly melted away, and the seal darkened under her hands.

Booth struggled to his feet with the help of Connor and Faith as Buffy stood up as well. "Not the brightest idea you've ever had, not that any of your other ideas could be considered a stroke of genius." Spike said cheerfully as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his smokes.

"Thanks," Booth muttered sarcastically as he glared at the other vampire. He glanced down at himself, down noticing his shirt was open. He quickly started buttoning it up over the wounds in his chest.

Still weak and lightheaded he started to sway unsteadily on his feet and almost stumble. Buffy quickly reached out to steady him. "How much blood did you lose?" she asked as she kept a hold of his elbow.

He shook his head. "I don't know, a lot," he muttered.

Spike's nostrils flared. "Enough to make you dizzy and weak, not enough to kill you."

"Comforting," Booth muttered dryly as he looked around the room again. He noticed the door at the other end of the room and pushed past Buffy as he started to walk towards it. He quickened his pace and was about to walk through the door when Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked down at her in confusion but she merely held his gun out to him. He nodded his thanks and took the gun back, forgetting that Nix had thrown it across the room when she had attacked him.

He cocked the gun and held it out in front of him as he slowly pushed the door open. His eyes widened and he quickly pointed the gun to the floor as he rushed inside. "Parker," he said in a horrified whisper. The others rushed in after him.

It was a small, dark room and Bones and Parker were in chains against the far wall. In another corner of the room was a skeleton, also in chains.

"Shit", muttered Faith. Booth rushed to Parker's side and started pulling on his chains. "Its ok, buddy," he murmured as the little boy started crying softly. Illyria walked over and knelt down besides Booth. Slowly she reached out to grab the chains.

Booth eyed her warily but the ancient god simply broke the chains on the little boy's wrists and ankles before stepping back and going to Bones and doing the same for her.

Booth gathered the boy into a tight hug and let out the breath he had been holding. He was ok. Parker sniffed and buried his head in his dad's shoulder.

Booth stroked the boys head and made a soothing sound as he struggled to his feet. Settling the boy more comfortably on his hip, with his small arms wrapped around his neck.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, ever again." His voice was fierce as he looked over the boys head and directly into Connor's eyes. "Ever," he whispered again.

Connor's eyes widened and he looked away, unsure of what to say as Buffy smiled at him. Faith and Spike helped Bones to her feet. The anthropologist stumbled, and then took a few limping steps forward. There was a cut on her forehead and she had been bitten. Booth carefully checked Parker's neck and was relieved to find his son hadn't been bitten; all he had was a few bruises and some scratches on his arms.

"Are you ok, Bones?" he asked.

She shook her head. "My navicular is fractured."

Spike snorted. "Your what?" he spluttered.

"Her foot," said Booth. "One of the bones is fractured."

Bones nodded. "I heard it snap," she explained.

"Daddy?" muttered Parker.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go now, this place is scary."

Booth kissed his son's forehead. "Of course, buddy," he murmured, looking around the little prison. "This place is giving me the creeps."


	12. Chapter 12

...

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 12

American Airlines 228

Cleveland to DC

June 22nd 2009

Booth looked over at his sleeping son in the seat next to him and smiled. He reached out and smoothed back the hair from Parker's forehead and tugged the thin airline-supplied blanket up over his shoulders. Parker murmured in his sleep and wriggled deeper into the chair. Booth smiled again before turning towards Bones. She was sitting on the aisle seat, her broken foot stretched out in front of her in a cast, her crutches stowed in the overhead locker above their heads.

The anthropologist looked the worse for wear; they had managed to grab a shower before their plane left, but the bruises and scratches on her face and arms were still visible. The twin puncture holes in the side of her neck were at least covered by a bandage.

He cleared his throat and rubbed at the new bandage against his own neck, identical to his partners.

"So," he muttered, tilting his seat back and stretching his feet out. "There are some things I should probably tell you."

Bones remained silent, staring straight ahead, waiting for him to continue.

"Who was that other young man?" she asked suddenly.

"He's my son," Booth said quietly.

Bones turned her head around quickly, staring at him in shock. "How old is he?"

"24."

Bones looked at Booth, an incredulous look on her face. "Don't look at me like that, I wasn't that young," he said with a sigh, offended. "It's a long story, I used to be a vampire," he said, lowering his voice.

Bones eyebrows shot up. "What?" she spluttered in disbelief.

He chuckled at her reaction. "I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true." He explained about the alley, fighting against a dragon—earning another look of disbelief from Bones—and how he died. "Then I was human," he clarified. "That was 5 years ago." When Bones opened her mouth to protest he raised his hand again. "I know, there are a lot of things in this world you don't know about Bones."

"But vampires are evil," she said slowly, "why were you fighting demons?"

He took a deep breath. "I was cursed with a soul, by gypsies," he explained. "I didn't think like a vampire, I thought like a human."

"And before you were cursed?" she asked quietly, almost scared to know the answer.

Booth looked Bones straight in the eye. "I was the same as any other vampire," he said after a moment.

Bones bit her lip, trying to imagine her friend as a vampire, and she couldn't do it. He was one of the noblest people she knew, always trying to do what was right, helping those in need. She couldn't see him as a bloodthirsty, destructive vampire. Maybe that was the point.

"How long were you a vampire for?" she asked, expecting him to say a few decades.

"250 years," he said slowly.

Bones eyes widened again and her mouth dropped open in an uncharacteristic display of shock. "You're serious!" she gasped when he just kept staring at her.

Booth nodded slowly. "Yeah," he murmured.

"How do you know Buffy?" she asked.

Booth paused, wondering how he could explain the love of his life, and the chaos and heartbreak that had surrounded their relationship. All without making it seem like a Shakespearean play.

"The first time I saw her was the day she was Chosen," he explained. "I was in Manhattan when I was approached by a balancing demon, he was tasked with setting me on the right path. I was wasting my life away, or unlife I suppose is more accurate. I didn't care about anything, not even myself. I ate only enough so I wouldn't go mad, I slept under bridges and in doorways. I was a nobody." He looked away, staring at Parker who was still asleep. "She gave me purpose, I wanted to help her."

"And you fell in love?"

"I didn't mean too, neither did she."

"But you made it work, despite the differences."

He shook his head. "We tried to, we certainly loved each other enough to. But it never worked out, the universe was against us. First it was my curse and the clause that came with it, then it was my wish for her to have a normal life." He looked down at his hands. "I left her you know, after she graduated. I told her I couldn't see her anymore and I left. Just turned around and walked away."

"Why? If you loved her so much, why did you do that?" Bones asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to make sense of it.

"Because we couldn't stay together, I knew we couldn't make it work, as much as we both wanted it too. It was better if I walked away and at least give her an opportunity of a normal life."

"But not you," she said.

He shook his head again. "No. I moved to LA, started up a detective agency and helped people. I tried to make up for all the horrible things I did as a vampire, and tried to earn redemption."

"And did you?" she asked softly.

He snorted softly. "At the time I didn't think so, and that was ok. I stopped fighting for me a long time ago." He paused. "Then I died in that alley." He looked up and met Bones gaze. "I think I found my redemption then. The powers gave me a new life."

He fell silent as the air hostess walked past with her trolley, offering them refreshments. Parker opened his eyes long enough to drink a glass of soda before he curled back up on the chair and fell asleep again.

The air hostess smiled at them before she moved further down the aisle. Booth stretched out again.

"What are you going to do now?" Bones asked softly as she took a sip of water.

"What I should have done years ago," he said turning his head and staring out the window, watching as they slowly moved through the clouds.

"What's that?"

"Gone back to her."

(v)

The Council

Cleveland Ohio, USA

June 22nd 2009

Buffy sat on the couch, her head in her hands as she cried loudly. Willow and Faith were sitting beside her; the witch's arm was around her shoulder as she tried to comfort the Slayer. "He just left," Buffy sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "Why would he do that?"

"You know he had to go back to DC, Buffy," Faith tried to explain, hating to see her friend like this but knowing that Booth didn't have a choice in the matter. The case was closed, they couldn't do any more in Cleveland and they needed to go back to DC to put in a report.

"He lives there," she said. "Do you expect him to just stay here when his whole life is back there?" She stood up angrily and stalked from the room.

Willow frowned as she rubbed Buffy's shoulders soothingly. "Don't listen to her, Buffy," she whispered.

Buffy sniffed and lifted her face, wiping her eyes. "She's right," she mumbled reluctantly. "I'm being ridiculous, he couldn't stay. I knew that. It's just…" she paused.

"What?" asked Willow.

"It's just. I was hoping this time would be different. But instead we do what we always do. He leaves and I have to pull the pieces back together." She turned and looked at her best friend. "What am I gonna do, Willow?" she asked.

"I don't know," Willow said sadly.

(v)

Buffy's Apartment

Cleveland Ohio, USA

June 24th 2009

A couple of days later Buffy was sitting at home dressed in a baggy pair of sweat pants, her hair in a messy bun as she sat on the couch watching a movie and eating ice-cream with a fluffy blanket wrapped around her. Robbie was at a friend's house and Faith was out running errands.

The doorbell rang and she sighed. Grabbing the remote she paused the movie and got up, walking to the door. When she opened it she froze, her eyes opening wide in shock at seeing Booth standing on the doorstep. Her hand flew to her hair in horror and she saw his eyes widened and take in her bedraggled appearance.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered softly.

A hurt look briefly flashed across his face before he managed to control his features and give a shrug. "I had to talk to you," he said.

She stared at him impassively before she stepped back and let him enter.

He nodded gratefully as he stepped into the apartment. She led him into the living room, unaware of his raised his eyebrows as he noticed the blanket and the carton of ice cream. She sat down on the couch and looked up at him expectantly. "Well?" she said, her voice hard.

Taking a deep breath he sat down next to her. "I transferred," he told her.

She looked at him in confusion. "Huh?" she said.

He turned his head and looked at her. "I transferred," he repeated. "I'm starting at the FBI office here in Cleveland in a week's time, I'm staying at the hotel for now but I'm looking for a new apartment here, hopefully something close to the office. Then I'll get my stuff moved from DC up here…"

He kept talking but Buffy tuned out. The moment he said he was moving to Cleveland her mind started to wander. "Why?" she asked cutting him off. "Why are you moving here?" She glanced away, unable to look at him, afraid of what she would see in his eyes.

"I can't do this, Buffy. I can't walk away from you again," he said as she twisted around to look at him in shock. "I'm staying, and if you want to make this work then…" This time he was the one to look away. "I don't expect you to though. I know I've done things to hurt you, a lot of things actually."

He turned his head and looked back at her. She was watching him intently. "You know I want to, but there is no way I'm letting you go again. If you're in, then you're in for life. You can't walk away from me again," she said firmly.

"I didn't want to walk away from you last time."

"You still did," she whispered sadly.

He sighed loudly and looked away again. "I know, but what do you think would have happened if I had stayed? We would have started fighting, and that would have torn us apart."

She looked down at her hands. "You're probably right," she muttered, "I don't think I could handle it if we started hating each other."

"I could never hate you, Buffy," he said softly.

They fell silent and Booth turned his attention to the TV. "What movie are you watching anyway?" he asked.

"The Notebook. It's this…"

"I've seen it," he said quickly.

She looked at him in surprise and he chuckled at her reaction. "I saw it with Bec when it came out, she dragged me along and bawled her eyes out the entire time." He glanced at the tissue box on the floor.

"I don't cry that much, just at the end," she defended herself hotly as Booth struggled to hide his grin.

Before she could say anything else he leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I kinda liked it," he said as he leaned back.

She stared at him. He was looking at her intently, the sun on his face was a new, but welcome change from the man she knew. "Oh, screw it," she muttered to herself. Throwing herself across the couch she grabbing his face in her hands as he jumped, and pressed her lips against his forcefully.

Booth grunted in shock as her body ploughed into him, throwing him off balance. He fell against the arm of the couch. He moaned as she opened her mouth slightly, encouraging him to return the favour. He obeyed and the kiss became frantic as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She bent over him, straddling him. One of her legs on the floor the other curled up against the back of the couch. She put her hands all over him. In his hair, across his cheeks and down his chest. Her passion getting the better of her. He moaned again as she pressed herself even closer against him.

When breathing became an issue they pulled apart, leaning their foreheads against one another's as they struggled to catch their breaths. They kissed quickly again, before Booth put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her up and away from him, looking into her eyes, searching.

Buffy noticed the look and mistook it for regret. "Sorry," she muttered, shifting her weight and preparing to move away.

He dug his fingers into her shoulders. "Buffy, Shut up," he muttered desperately, pulling her down so he could continue kissing her.

She shifted her weight again and grinded against him, rubbing her hips against his crotch. He moaned, feeling himself hardening under her touch.

Buffy pulled back, her breaths coming in short shallow gasps. "We…..should….move," she gasped out between kisses.

He nodded, and together they struggled to right themselves without breaking contact. Chuckling when it didn't work and they had to pull apart. Booth stood up, his hair mussed and his shirt rumpled. He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her flush against his chest and kissed her neck.

"Oh, Angel," she whispered with a moan as he steered her out of the living room and down the hall towards her bedroom.

_She called me Angel, _he thought with a shock, his mind racing. I told her not to, I'm not him anymore. He stopped and she stumbled into him. With a frown of confusion she looked up at him. Then she seemed to realise what she had said and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh." She breathed. "I'm sorry, Booth." She said, biting her lip.

Seeing the worried look on her face he shook his head dismissively. Bending down he kissed her quickly. "Its fine," he murmured, not wanting to ruin the mood. "I just got a shock that's all."

"I know you're different," she said, "trying to explain, I do. It's just, you'll still be Angel to me as well."

She took a deep breath and raised up on her tip toes to kiss him softly. "It's just a name, it's only ever been you that I love."

He gave a smile and kissed her again, the embrace quickly turning passionate. Buffy pulled back, gasping her breathe. He started kissing her neck and she closed her eyes in pleasure. "How about I make you a deal?" she breathed into his ear.

"Hum..." he muttered against her neck.

She licked her lips. "How about I only call you Angel when we're-"she gasped harshly as he nipped her collarbone, "when we're, having sex."

He thought about that for a second. "Ok," he murmured.

She smiled and leaned into him, deepening the kiss. Then she put a hand down his pants.

With a groan he grabbed her around the waist pulling her flush against him. He stumbled back a s few steps and with one arm as he opened the bedroom door. Kicking it shut behind him as she attacked his lips. She grabbed his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, and quickly started to undo the buttons of his shirt.

He backed up, pulling her along until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed. He sat down, tugging her down with him so she straddled his lap. She grabbed at his jacket and shirt, hauling them over his head before running her hands over his chest. Booth put his hands on her hips, holding her close to him.

Memories of their first and only night together occupied both their thoughts as they gave into their desires. Booth groaned softly, his heart pounding frantically in his chest as he slowly pulled her shirt over her head, exposing her lace covered breasts. He smiled and bent his head, kissing the warm flesh of her cleavage as she laughed and swatted at his arm. He grinned up at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him and rolling them until she was lying on the bed. He leaned over her, running his hands over her body. Buffy sighed softly as he bent down and kissed her stomach.

The lovemaking was slow, both of them taking the time to explore. Discovering each other in a way they were never able to before. Their carnal relationship having come to an end only hours after it began. They had time to learn what the other liked, to touch and caress. Kissing each other until both of them were moaning in pleasure, sweat glistening on their bodies as they moved against one another.

Finally, after hours and both of them well and truly satisfied they collapsed against one another and curling up under the covers.

(v)

Hours later they awoke to the soft murmur of voices drifting in from the kitchen. Buffy yawned and stretched, feeling Booth's arms around her shoulders she smiled widely and leaned back into his embrace. His arm tightened around her waist and she felt his warm breath on her shoulder before he kissed the warm skin.

He touched her neck with the tips of his fingers, moved her hair out of the way and slowly kissed her neck, his hands wandered over her back and shoulders, and over the curve of her hips before placing a hand between her thighs.

Buffy sighed softly and closed her eyes, relaxing into his embrace. A loud thump came from the kitchen followed by a burst of laughter. Dawn's laugh. Buffy's eyes widened and she grabbed Booth's hand, stilling his ministrations.

He huffed in frustration. "Buffy," he pleaded, pressing himself against her so she could feel just how worked up he was getting.

"Dawn's here," she hissed through her teeth as she pushed his hand away and sat up, holding the covers to her bare breasts. "I'm not having sex with her in the next room!"

He sighed loudly and rolled onto his back. "Ok," he agreed, knowing she was right. "Just, let me lie here for a bit." She glanced down at him and smirked at the tent in the covers just below his hips.

She leaned over and kissed his mouth. "Sorry," she whispered before getting up and walked over to her closet completely naked.

Booth closed his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath, causing Buffy to laugh out loud as she pulled a clean pair of panties out of her drawer.

He kept his eyes closed as she finished dressing, if he caught another glance of her body he wouldn't be able to control himself. So he kept his eyes closed and tried not to imagine the soft fabric against her skin.

"Come out when you're….calm again," she said, a smile in her voice before she closed the door behind her.

(v)

Buffy closed the door behind her, a smile on her face. His reaction pleased her, it wasn't often she got a man all worked up like that without even trying. It was a nice feeling_. _

"I could get used to this again,_"_ she said to herself as she walked down the hall and entered the kitchen.

Her eyes widened as she stood in the doorway. It was even worse then she thought.

Not only were Faith and Dawn there, but so was Connor and Robbie!

They all turned to look at her. "Hey Buffy!" said Dawn enthusiastically.

Faith raised an eyebrow as she put her coffee on the table. "I didn't know you were here. Why did you leave the ice cream out?" she asked.

Buffy's eyes widened. "I did? Oh shit, oops."

Faith laughed. "What could have happened that you forgot? That's almost a whole tub of cookie dough I had to poor down the…" She stopped, her eyes focusing on something behind Buffy.

Buffy turned her head to find Booth standing in the doorway. "That was my fault," he said, unable to hold his smirk in.

Dawn's eyes widened and she gave a squeak of joy. Faith quickly grabbed her coffee and hid a smile as she took another sip.

Connor grinned. "About time dad," he said.

Booth smiled, took a step forward and wrapped an arm around Buffy's waist, and giving her a one-armed hug. Buffy grinned and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Better late than never," she said with a grin.

"So," said Faith looking between the two of them. "Should we break out the champagne to celebrate?"

"As long as we can eat something, I'm starving," Booth said, letting go of Buffy's waist and heading to the fridge.

Connor and Dawn both blanched in horror as Buffy blushed. She sat down at the table. "So, what are you cooking?" she asked.

He turned his head and smiled. "What do you feel like?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow and smirked suggestively, causing Booth to laugh.

"Okay!" Connor said quickly, standing up. "I think that's our queue to go."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Sit down. I have to talk to you anyway."

Connor sighed and sat back down. "Fine," he muttered. "What do you want to talk about?"

Booth was silent for a few seconds as he finished taking things out of the fridge. Finally he turned back around and leaned against the bench, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at his son. He sighed. "I just wanted to ask how you were. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you," he said, embarrassed.

Connor looked at his dad sadly. "Don't worry about it, you're here now."

Booth nodded slowly, trying to take that in. He felt so guilty for not being there for Connor when the boy needed him the most. Dying when they were finally starting to get along. "How did you two meet?" he asked, glancing at Dawn.

Dawn and Connor smiled at one another. "When Spike got us out of that alley, he took me here," Connor explained. "I met Dawn the same day I met Buffy."

"I was a mess," Buffy explained softly. "But I remember Dawn and Connor got along great from the moment they saw each other."

Connor and Dawn smiled at one another again and kissed softly. "I think I got lucky," Connor admitted with a cheeky grin.

Buffy smiled and looked up at Booth, he was looking at Connor and Dawn, but when he felt her eyes on him he looked her straight in the eye. He returned her grin. "I think we all got lucky," he murmured.

Faith wrapped her arms around Robbie's waist and pulled him into her lap and smiled, Robbie grinned up at his mum. "I'm lucky too!" he announced at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to laugh.

Booth hadn't taken his eyes off Buffy, both of them continuing to stare at one another from across the room. Faith took Robbie's hand and pulled him quietly from the room. Connor and Dawn glanced quickly at one another, and followed Faith out, leaving Booth and Buffy alone.

Booth blinked, and then glanced around the room. "I think we scared them off," he murmured with a smile.

Buffy blinked, coming out of her daze and followed his gaze. She snorted in amusement and stood up, walking over to him and putting her arms around his waist, pressing her chest against his. They heard the front door open and then close quietly.

"I don't really feel like eating food right now," she said suggestively.

Booth laughed and returned the embrace. "Neither do I," he whispered, before bending down and kissing her softly on the lips.

...

**A/N: Hope you are all enjoying how this story is folding out. Only the Epilogue to publish now. Please review if you liked it, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. xx **

**Ashes. **


	13. Chapter 13

...

The Beginning of the End

Epilogue

Cleveland, Ohio USA

December 18th 2010

18 months later…

Connor sat on a hard plastic chair that lined the length of the hospital's white hallway. It was empty except for himself and Parker, who was sitting on the seat next to him swinging his legs in the air. The door at the other end of the hallway swung open and his friends and family headed towards him.

"Uncle Jared!" Parker yelled excitedly, jumping of the chair and running towards him. Jared smiled and bent down to give the boy a hug. Connor smiled, he had met the other man a few times and they got along well. Jared didn't know he was Booth's son though, he just thought he was Buffy's brother in law, and that was how it was going to stay.

"Any word?" Giles asked Connor nervously as he sat down in the chair next to him.

Connor shook his head. "Not yet," he said with a sigh.

"Do you think everything is ok?" asked Willow nervously.

"Its fine, Willow, stop worrying," Faith tried to reassure the redhead. "If it wasn't, someone would have told us by now."

Dawn sat down on his other side and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You okay?" she whispered quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok," he muttered, keeping his voice low. "I just hate waiting."

Faith snorted in amusement, her Slayer hearing letting her in on their private conversation. Connor and Dawn both looked up at her as she crossed her arms. "This is nothing," she said with a shrug, "I was in labour for 20 hours."

Dawn's face whitened in shock. "20 hours?" she breathed out in disbelief. Faith nodded.

"Wow," Dawn muttered slowly. Knowing what she was thinking, Connor took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Dawn looked at her husband and smiled gratefully.

Faith raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to comment when the sound of running footsteps distracted her. Everyone turned and watched as Bones raced quickly down the hall, her suitcase in one hand a blue teddy bear in the other.

"I boarded the first flight, am I late. How is Buffy doing?" she asked in a rush, stopping next to Willow and taking a deep breath, pushing her long hair out of her face.

"We don't know yet," Willow said as the others all greeted the anthropologist.

Bones smiled, "Sorry, hello everyone!"

"How ya doing Temperance," Jared asked, giving her a quick hug.

"I'm fine, I came straight from the lab, we just found a body in a dump truck, and it was all-"she cut herself off as everyone stared at her with various looks of disgust and horror.

At that moment the double doors on the other side of the hallway opened and a female patient on a hospital bed was wheeled out by two porters and taken down the hall.

A nurse followed them out and when she saw them standing around waiting she came over with a smile. "Are you here to see Buffy?" she asked.

They all nodded. The nurse looked around at all the expectant faces. "Mom and baby are doing fine, I'll ask if only family can go in first, please."

Connor got up, and took Parker's hand as Dawn and Jared both headed towards the nurse as well. The others held back. The balloon in Willow's hand bobbed against his head as he walked past.

The four of them followed the nurse through the double doors and down the hall of the maternity wing. The nurse showed them the right room and left them to talk in private as she headed towards the nurses station. Connor cleared his throat and walked into the room. "Hello?" he called as he slowly pulled back the screen.

Buffy was sitting up in bed, Booth on the seat next to her, the baby in his arms. They had been talking quietly and turned their heads around as Connor and the others walked into the room. Both of them smiled.

Dawn squeaked in happiness and rushed past Connor, going straight to Buffy and throwing her arms around her sister. Buffy laughed as she returned the hug.

"How are you?" Dawn asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Buffy managed a smile. "Tired and a bit sore," she admitted, "but the pain killers are nice." Booth smiled and leaned forward, kissing her cheek. The baby in his arms stirred and gave a small whimper of displeasure. Booth looked down and adjusted the small bundle into a more comfortable position. Parker walked around the bed and rested his hands on Booth's arm, looking down at the little baby is awe.

"Say 'hi' to your little sister Parker," Booth said quietly. Parker smiled and mouthed 'Hi' in a voice so soft that Booth didn't even hear him.

"What's her name?" Dawn asked.

"Ava Joyce Booth," Buffy said. She looked at Jared who was standing at the end of her bed. "After my mom."

Jared nodded. "It's a nice name," he said with a grin. "I think it suit's her."

Dawn wiped at her eyes, "She would have liked that." Dawn said when she got her emotions back under control. She turned her head and looked down at Booth in the chair. "Can I hold her?" she asked. Booth smiled and nodded and slowly got up out of the chair. He walked round the bed and carefully handed Dawn the baby.

Dawn held her breath and kept still as Booth put Ava in her arms. The baby didn't even open her eye's just screwed her nose up a little and moved her hands around. Dawn smiled as she whispered in awe, "She's beautiful."

Booth sat back down and Parker crawled into his lap, giving Booth a hug before settling down onto the chair next to him.

"How does it feel to be a father again, Booth?" Jared asked.

Booth quickly glanced at Connor before he smiled and looked down at Parker. "Feel's great," he said.

They fell silent, watching the baby for a moment until Booth asked Jared what had been happening back in DC and the two brothers started chatting quietly. Connor sat down in the remaining chair and joined in the conversation.

A little while later Ava started getting restless; Dawn handed the baby back, and stood up. "Well I guess we better go and let the others come say 'hi'. I'll come round tomorrow," she said kissing Buffy's cheek and walking out the door. The others said goodbye and Jared helped Parker off the chair.

Buffy and Booth had a few blessed moments of silence before the rest of the gang walked in bearing gifts. They talked and laughed as Lorne, Willow and Faith gushed over the baby, Giles retained his normal dignified manner and Spike pretended that he wasn't as awed as the others. Bones smiled at the little baby and even got to hold her, staring down at the tiny human with fascination. Eventually they left as well and Booth and Buffy were left alone with Ava Joyce.

Buffy fed the baby then laid her down in her cot. She smiled and beckoned to Booth. He laughed and got up off the chair, sitting down on the bed and leaned down to kiss her. They kissed slowly before pulling away and Buffy leaned back against the pillows as Booth wrapped his arms around her and lay down beside her on the bed.

He smiled and glanced over at the sleeping baby. Buffy leaned her head against his and smiled.

"Buffy," Booth began quietly.

"Yeah,"

"I love you,"

"I love you too, Booth."

**The End**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, read and reviewed this story over the past couple of years it's taken me to finish this story. I hope you've all enjoyed it. This is the last time you have a chance to review! **

**Thanks everyone,  
xx**

**Ashes**


End file.
